SCOTLAND

Joint Ministerial Committee

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when the next Joint Ministerial Council (a) Plenary, (b) Domestic and (c) Europe meeting will take place; and what will be discussed at each such meeting.

Alistair Carmichael: The Joint Ministerial Committees take place in their Plenary, Domestic and European forms on a regular basis. Dates for future meetings are subject to agreement with the devolved Administrations, as are the agendas which are agreed in advance via the JMC joint secretariat.

Tourism

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on maximising tourism opportunities in Scotland.

David Mundell: Scotland Office Ministers meet regularly with Scottish Government Ministers to discuss a range of matters, including tourism.
	As a part of the UK, Scotland’s tourism industry benefits from the UK’s integrated single market; the ability of visitors to move freely across its constituent parts; and the work of VisitBritain, the GREAT Campaign and UKTI to promote the whole of the UK as a destination for tourism and overseas investment.
	In recent months, the Government has been actively working to help ensure the successful delivery of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the World War 1 commemoration programme and Armed Forces Day, all of which present excellent opportunities to promote Scotland on the world stage.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband: Schools

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many schools will benefit from his broadband rollout for schools.

Edward Vaizey: The Government has committed £780 million to help deliver superfast broadband to 95% of UK premises by 2017. We do not have data on the specific number of schools that would benefit from the programme. Public sector broadband requirements would be the managed by the Department or local authority with responsibility for delivering the relevant policy.

Consultants

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which 10 consultancy firms were paid the most by his Department in the last financial year; and how much each of those firms was paid.

Helen Grant: The 10 professional services firms that were paid the most in 2013-14 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Supplier Name Total paid in 2013-14 (£) 
			 KPMG LLP 1,934,209.35 
			 Pinsent Masons 950,789.80 
			 Local Partnerships 429,919.24 
			 Grant Thornton UK LLP 401,867.88 
			 Regeneris Consulting Ltd 75,187.00 
			 Andrew Dumbreck Media Limited 62,165.60 
			 National Centre for Social Research 70,732.00 
			 Deloitte (LLP No 2 a/c) 49,480.00 
			 CLAS Co-operative Ltd 29,820.00 
			 SQW Limited 29,413.00 
		
	
	These are unaudited figures from the Department's financials systems, net of recoverable VAT. The Department uses professional services firms for a variety of purposes. In addition to consultancy services, they include expenditure on external legal support and advice on programmes, research fieldwork, evaluation, specialist technical advice and the provision of interim managers. Legal services from the Treasury Solicitors and providers of recruitment services have been excluded in order to arrive at a list of firms that are predominantly providers of consultancy.

Direct Selling

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to prevent or reduce nuisance telephone calls.

Edward Vaizey: Tackling nuisance calls is a priority for the Government and we are pursuing a range of options for reform, both legislative and non-legislative, which will help to make a significant difference. On 30 March 2014, we published our Nuisance Calls Action Plan, which sets out proposals including legislation that will enable Ofcom to share information more easily with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and we will also be consulting on lowering the legal threshold, to enable the ICO to issue more monetary penalties to organisations that break the rules. Further details of the Action Plan can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nuisance-calls-action-plan-unveiled
	Steps taken so far include having improved signposting and information, clearer advice for consumers, a simpler complaints process, greater use by regulators of their powers, including the ICO and Ofcom having issued monetary penalties totalling £2.59 million for calls and SMS text messages and work on improving the ability of communication service providers to trace calls. We will continue to work with regulators, consumer groups and industry to deliver better protection for consumers.

English Heritage

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many heritage sites English Heritage has declined to take control of as custodian of last resort in the last 30 years; and what the reasons were for declining in each such case.

Edward Vaizey: To the knowledge of its current management team, English Heritage has not declined to take control of any heritage sites as custodian of last resort in the last 30 years. English Heritage has occasionally been offered properties that it has declined on the basis that there were other more suitable solutions available.

English Heritage

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make the business plan for the new English Heritage charity available.

Edward Vaizey: We intend to make further information available in the summer, alongside the Government’s response to the recent consultation on the English Heritage new model.

English Heritage

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether (a) the English Heritage charity or (b) Historic England will fulfil a historic preservation research role under the proposed remodelling of English Heritage.

Edward Vaizey: Historic England will continue to undertake research and offer advice on the practical conservation of historic buildings, guided by the priorities in the National Heritage Protection Plan. The agreements between Historic England and the English Heritage charity will enable such research to be carried out on sites within the National Heritage Collection.

European Citizens Programme

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect of the delay in debating the draft Council Regulation on the European Citizens Programme on funding for civil society organisations in UK planning (a) events to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War and (b) other events; what the timescale for implementation and release of monies under the Programme is; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: No formal assessment has been undertaken. Following completion of the parliamentary scrutiny process the UK voted in support of the programme, which is now ready for implementation. The timing of the release of monies under the programme is a matter for the EU Commission, and it is expected that details will be made available in due course on the Commission website, which is:
	http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/about-the-europe-for-citizens-programme/future-programme-2014-2020/index_en.htm

Film

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what Government funding is given to the UK film industry; what contribution the UK film industry makes to the UK economy; and what steps the Government is taking to attract overseas film production and investment to the UK.

Edward Vaizey: In 2012-13 the Government provided around £80 million in grant in aid and lottery funding to the British Film Institute (BFI) to support film in the UK, and paid out £205 million in Film Tax Relief. The UK film industry makes a significant contribution to the UK economy, directly generating 43,900 jobs and contributing £1.6 billion to national GDP (Oxford Economics Report 2012). The UK has one of the world's most generous film tax reliefs which attracted over £1 billion in inward investment in 2013. Recent changes to the Film Tax Relief announced at Budget 2014 will also encourage further film production to the UK.

Gambling

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has received from the charity sector about the effect of gambling addiction; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: I meet with a number of stakeholders to discuss their concerns. These stakeholders include problem gambling charities, faith groups and the Gambling Commission. The Government also received a number of representations from the charity sector to its 2013 consultation on the Triennial Review of Gaming Machine Stake and Prize Limits.

Gaming Machines

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which research studies used by his Department in formulating policy on fixed odds betting terminals (a) have and (b) have not received industry funding or support; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: The Government considers a wide range of available research when formulating gambling policy. The Government is mindful of the provenance of research, and its funding source, when interpreting findings.

Greyhound Racing

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if his Department will take steps to encourage Betfair to recommence making payments to the voluntary British Greyhound Racing Fund.

Helen Grant: The Government would like to see greyhound racing remain a successful sport and encourages the greyhound and betting industries to continue to work constructively together, not least because they have a mutual interest in promoting effective welfare and integrity measures. However, the Government will not intervene in voluntary funding arrangements which are a matter for the Greyhound industry and its funders.

Lotteries

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it a condition of the award of a licence for a lottery that financial details of people playing that lottery should not be sold to third parties.

Helen Grant: Any person or organisation handling personal information about individuals (including financial details) has a number of legal obligations to protect that information under the Data Protection Act 1998. These obligations are amplified in the current National Lottery licence (Section 22 on data protection), which runs until 2023. In addition, Camelot states in its privacy policy
	http://www.national-lottery.co.uk/player/p/privacypolicy.ftl
	‘The Company will not sell your personal information to third parties.’ As far as other lotteries are concerned, the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 apply as usual, but there are no specific licence conditions-and there are no plans to introduce any.

Policy

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in what circumstances he uses a calculation of the (a) value of preventing a fatality, (b) willingness to pay and (c) cost-per-quality adjusted life year approach to quantify the value of a policy intervention; what other tools he uses to quantify the benefit of a policy intervention; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: To answer each of these points in turn:
	(a) DCMS uses Department for Transport cost of fatality estimates where relevant to policy development. For instance, this valuation technique was used recently as part of the assessment of costs associated with allowing motor sport on closed roads.
	(b) DCMS follows valuation guidance set out in HM Treasury's Green Book, including the use of willingness to pay techniques, to proportionately assess the impact of policy interventions. Willingness to pay has been used as part of the DCMS cost-benefit analysis of Digital Radio Switchover, for example. DCMS also recommends Green Book valuation techniques are used by our ALBs to inform spending decisions.
	(c) DCMS uses the Quality Adjusted Life Year approach where relevant to policy development. To take an example, the Culture and Sport Evidence programme that DCMS shares with a range of ALB partners has developed a Quality Adjusted Live Year approach for physical health benefits of sport, which Sport England use to assess local impacts.
	Other techniques used to assess benefits of interventions include macro-economic modelling to assess the impacts of both the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and superfast broadband investment funded by the Department.

Stationery

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what levels of stock his Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

Helen Grant: DCMS holds a minimal stock of stationery to supply staff, and orders items as required.

Tate Modern

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the reasons are for the time taken to complete the Tate Modern project; and what the current projected completion date is for that project.

Edward Vaizey: The building has always been scheduled to open by the end of 2016 and remains on course to do so. It is a large and ambitious project to establish a new model for museums of modern and contemporary art that will stand to the nation's benefit.

Telecommunications

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with mobile network operators about shared infrastructure; and if he will use the forthcoming review of the Electronic Communications Code to reform wayleases and rights of way for the implementation and maintenance of shared infrastructure.

Edward Vaizey: The former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), and I had a number of representations from mobile network operators about shared infrastructure. DCMS is considering the implications of the Law Commission's report on the Electronic Communications Code which was published in February 2013. The analysis work is ongoing and I will make public the plans to reform the Electronic Communications Code in due course.

Telecommunications

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to Law Commission Report No. 336 published on 28 February 2013, what progress his Department has made on reforming the electronic communications code.

Edward Vaizey: Since the Law Commission published its report on the reform of the Electronic Communications Code in February 2013, DCMS has been considering the implications of the recommendations on network roll out and service provision to consumers. In January 2014 we published an economic analysis of the impact of various wayleave valuation regimes. A copy of this report has been placed in the House of Commons Library. The analysis work is ongoing and I will make public the plans to reform the Electronic Communications Code in due course.

Tourism: South East

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent steps he has taken to increase tourism to (a) Berkshire and (b) the South East; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: DCMS is responsible for the policy that supports the growth of domestic and international tourism, working in partnership with other Government Departments and our arm’s length bodies, VisitBritain and VisitEngland. Between 2011 and 2015, Government is investing more than £105 million in tourism through the GREAT and other international campaigns. Investment to date is showing positive results. 2013 was a record year for inbound tourism with 32.9 million international visits being made which generated a record £21 billion into the UK in 2013.
	In terms of Berkshire specifically, VisitBritain’s public-facing website includes a range of tourism information relating to Windsor which is available via the following link:
	http://www.visitbritain.com/en/Destinations-and-Maps/History-and-heritage/Windsor.htm
	VisitBritain’s ‘Heritage is GREAT’ advertising campaign also prominently featured Highclere Castle, which is the setting for Downton Abbey.
	The South East region will benefit from a number of thematic campaigns currently being run by VisitEngland which can be found at:
	http://www.visitengland.com/
	It will also benefit from VisitEngland’s Holidays at Home are GREAT campaign, which has been broadcast on mainstream terrestrial channels since 1 April, while those areas in the South East region affected by the recent floods are also benefiting from both VisitEngland’s “Spot on England” marketing campaign and business support events.

UN Convention for Protection of Cultural Property in Event of Armed Conflict

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ratify the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols.

Edward Vaizey: The Government, along with the British Red Cross, has pledged to facilitate the UK’s ratification of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, and believes ratification of the Convention and its two Protocols will strengthen our commitment to the protection of our own heritage, and highlight our respect for the cultural property of other nations. However, as yet it has not been possible to secure the parliamentary time needed to pass the relevant legislation.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Advocacy: Children

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when she plans to publish the terms of reference for the trial advocate scheme;
	(2)  if her Department will consider extending the trial advocate scheme to unaccompanied children;
	(3)  whether the pilot scheme for advocates will be independent of local authorities;
	(4)  what powers advocates will have during the pilot advocate scheme;
	(5)  when the pilot advocate scheme will begin.

Karen Bradley: In January 2014 the Home Office announced proposals to trial specialist, independent advocates for trafficked children which is due to begin this summer. This trial forms part of the Government’s work to eradicate modern day slavery and as such there are no plans for this trial to be extended to unaccompanied children.
	The child trafficking advocate will be fully independent from the local authority, but will need to work with the existing structures around the child trafficking victim, such as children’s services, education, criminal justice system and immigration system. The advocate role is intended to deliver the best outcomes for children. The advocate’s role will include the following activities but this is not an exhaustive list and we expect the advocate to respond to the specific needs of the child:
	being a consistent point of contact for the child trafficking victim;
	assisting the local authority to assess the needs of the child trafficking victim as a victim of trafficking, thereby promoting the safety and wellbeing of the child trafficking victim (in particular in light of the risk of re-trafficking);
	making recommendations for referrals to other services (e.g. mental health services) to ensure the child trafficking victim receives educational, medical, practical and legal support they need and deserve;
	accompanying the child trafficking victim to certain meetings—e.g. with an immigration lawyer;
	supporting the child trafficking victim in any age assessment process;
	supporting the child trafficking victim in overcoming language and cultural barriers;
	supporting witnesses through the criminal justice system;
	supporting looked after children and children in need through the care system, in particular in safety planning, age assessment and future planning;
	assisting the local authority to plan for the child trafficking victim’s future and receive any compensation that they may be entitled to;
	helping prevent the child trafficking victim from facing further exploitation or harm from traffickers (and the risks of going missing);
	providing advice on immigration, criminal justice and welfare matters to the child trafficking victim and arranging effective legal representation;
	involvement in the key decisions relating to the child trafficking victim (but final decisions would remain the responsibility of the local authority or Home Office, where relevant).
	The Home Office is commissioning an independent evaluation of the trial which will report six months after the trial commences. The evaluation will include the terms of reference for the trial.

Asylum

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum cases were awaiting decision for travel documents on 1 February 2014.

James Brokenshire: We are unable to provide figures specific to asylum cases awaiting travel documents. This information is only held within paper case files, which would mean this question could only be answered through a disproportionately expensive manual case search.

Asylum: Finance

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she intends to take in response to the judgment in the High Court of 9 April 2014 by Lord Justice Popplewell on asylum support; and by what date she plans to set out that response.

James Brokenshire: The Government plans to review asylum support rates. That review will take account of the judgment and other information. The review will be completed by 9 August 2014.

Asylum: Syria

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how long funding will be made available to local authorities for accepting refugees from Syria under the vulnerable persons relocation scheme.

James Brokenshire: Central Government will meet the full first year costs of the Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme, including integration support, education and healthcare costs. These timescales are consistent with those applied to our funding of the Gateway Protection Programme. The level of support provided will depend on the individual needs of beneficiaries, and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Costs will be recovered wherever possible, including from the EU.

Asylum: Syria

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps her Department has taken to allow the most vulnerable Syrian refugees to come to Britain.

James Brokenshire: The first group of Syrian refugees arrived in the UK on 25 March as part of the Government’s Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) Scheme. The next group of refugees is expected to arrive this month, with further groups to follow on a regular basis. We continue to work with UNHCR to establish a steady flow of cases.
	While there is no set quota we predict that the VPR scheme will support several hundred people over the next three years.

Asylum: Uganda

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on granting asylum to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people from Uganda.

James Brokenshire: All asylum and human rights claims are considered in accordance with our obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. We recognise that, in general, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons may be at risk of persecution and warrant protection, and that this may have increased in particular for lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) persons following the signing of the Anti-Homosexual Act. However, each case needs to be considered on its individual facts. In light of the Act, which specifically targets ‘homosexuality’, we published updated guidance covering lesbian, gay and bisexual claims on the Gov.uk website on 10 April.
	We are monitoring the situation and will publish updated guidance on LGBTI persons once it is clear how the law is being applied in practice.

Deportation: Children

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied migrant children have been forcibly removed to another country in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: No unaccompanied child under the age of 18 can be forcibly removed from the UK unless adequate care and reception arrangements are in place in their country of origin. The difficulty of setting up suitable reception arrangements has meant that, with the exception of transfers to other European Union countries under the Dublin Regulations1, the Home Office does not routinely enforce the return of unaccompanied children to any country. The majority of unaccompanied children whose asylum claims are rejected are granted temporary leave which is reviewed when they reach 17 and a half years of age. We believe that the vast majority of enforced returns of unaccompanied children undertaken between 2006 and 2010 were transfers under the Dublin Regulations.
	1 The Dublin Regulation EC No. 343/2003 is a binding measure of European Community law to determine which State should be responsible for examining an application for asylum made within the EU territory.
	
		
			 Table 1: Unaccompanied asylum seeking children removals 2009 to 2013 
			 Date of removal Total 
			 2009 31 
			 2010 12 
			 2011 2 
			 2012 6 
			 2013 2 
			 Grand total 53 
		
	
	‘Migrant children’ have been interpreted as unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) in answering this question.

Domestic Violence

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of moves to gender-neutral services on support for women victims of domestic violence; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: Decisions on how best to fund services for victims of domestic violence are most effectively addressed at a local level based on the needs of local communities. This includes an assessment of the need for gender-specific services.
	The Home Office has received representations from voluntary sector organisations raising concerns about local commissioning of generic and gender-neutral services for victims of domestic violence. The updated Violence Against Women and Girls Action Plan, published on 8 March 2014, accordingly makes supporting effective local approaches a priority area. The plan sets out clear commitments to:
	deliver a programme of regional engagement to support all local commissioners;
	establish a cross-Government task and finish group to drive good practice in the commissioning of local services; and,
	part-fund a series of dedicated commissioning masterclasses to support the women’s sector to engage with the new commissioning landscape.
	Progress on supporting effective local approaches to commissioning of services will be monitored by the Inter-Ministerial Group on Violence Against Women and Girls, chaired by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May).

EU Immigration

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government has to publish reports on the review of the balance of competences relating to EU migration; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Free movement of persons is a complex area with a number of different issues to examine, and this deserves to be done thoroughly. We will publish this report once it is completed.

Homicide: Convictions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Crown Prosecution Service conviction rate was in cases of homicide involving (a) two, (b) three, (c) four and (d) five or more defendants in each of the last five years.

Norman Baker: The requested conviction rates are given in the table. The information is taken from the Home Office Homicide Index. Data for 2013/14 will be published in early 2015.
	The circumstances surrounding a homicide can be complex and it can take time for cases to pass through the criminal justice system. As a result, the conviction rates in the table for recent years will be lower (than for earlier years) but will rise as more of these cases flow through the system and will therefore be higher in future publications.
	
		
			 Table A: Conviction rate1 for offences currently recorded as homicide by number of suspects, 2008-09 to 2012-132, England and Wales 
			  Conviction rate (percentage) 
			 Number of suspects 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-132 
			 Two 82 75 67 63 53 
			 Three 82 80 52 73 56 
			 Four 90 75 78 25 29 
			 Five or more 75 80 67 56 50 
			 1 Conviction rate is the proportion of homicide offences that resulted in a conviction for at least one of the suspects. 2 As at 8 November 2013; The circumstances surrounding a homicide can be complex and it can take time for cases to pass through the criminal justice system. As a result the figures for convicted suspects will increase as the cases pass through the criminal justice system. Source: Home Office Homicide Index

Human Trafficking

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2014, Official Report, column 277W, on human trafficking and of 14 January 2014, Official Report, columns 481-6W, on human trafficking: victim support schemes, what information she has on the whereabouts of each of the (a) 92 victims of human trafficking found in the UK in November 2013 and (b) 113 victims of human trafficking found in UK in December 2013.

Karen Bradley: The information requested is published by the Salvation Army in an annual ‘Anti-Human Trafficking Report’. The latest report, which covers the period July 2012 to June 2013, can be found at:
	https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/uki-cache.salvation army.org/fdda0251-4ab6-4bf8-9fc0-4837891ad1c7_Fourth+ draft+Year+2+AHT+VICTIM+Contract.pdf
	The report covering the period July 2013 to June 2014 will be published later this year.

Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 114W, on human trafficking: victim support schemes, how many of those referred were (a) men and (b) women, by country; what steps are taken to ensure after the victim exits the shelter into which they have been placed by the Salvation Army they are not re-trafficked or contact their former traffickers; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  pursuant to the answers of 7 April 2014, Official Report, columns 114-15W and of 14 January 2014, Official Report, columns 481-86W, on human trafficking: victim support schemes, for what reason information on each individual, whether male or female, and location found, is excluded from the figures for January 2013; and if she will provide this information for future questions on the subject.

Karen Bradley: The requested information on the gender of potential victims and the regions in which they were found in January 2014 was provided in the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, columns 114-15W, on human trafficking: victim support schemes. However, this data was provided in a number of separate tables. The information was not withheld and is provided below in an alternative format, giving the same data broken down by individual case, in one table.
	The victim care contract does not require support providers to maintain any form of formal contact after the recovery and reflection period. However, some survivors do maintain informal contact with their support provider. All support providers will work with victims throughout their support period to help them move on from the service. We are looking at what more we can do to help victims reintegrate effectively.
	
		
			 Nationality Gender Region Agency type 
			 Nigerian Female South Self Referral 
			 Lithuanian Female South Police 
			 Vietnamese Male East NGO 
			 Romanian Female West Midlands NGO 
			 Lithuanian Male South West Police 
			 Lithuanian Male South West Police 
			 Albanian Female Wales Self Referral 
			 Bulgarian Female South Police 
			 Polish Male West Midlands GLA 
			 Albanian Female Yorkshire NGO 
			 Nigerian Female South Home Office 
			 Sierra Leonean Female South Home Office 
			 Indian Male South East Home Office 
			 Vietnamese Female North West Home Office 
			 Nigerian Female South East Home Office 
			 Ugandan Female South East Home Office 
			 Vietnamese Male South East Legal Representative 
			 Ghanaian Male South Police 
			 Ghanaian Male South Police 
			 Romanian Male West Midlands Police 
			 Romanian Male West Midlands Police 
			 Romanian Male West Midlands Police 
			 Romanian Male West Midlands Police 
			 Romanian Male West Midlands Police 
			 Togolese Female East Police 
			 Nigerian Female South East Local Authority 
			 Czech Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Albanian Female South East Home Office 
			 Ugandan Female East Self Referral 
			 Indian Female South East Home Office 
			 Albanian Female South East Home Office 
			 Albanian Female Not Known Home Office 
			 Albanian Female South Police 
			 Vietnamese Female Not Known Home Office 
			 Albanian Female South Home Office 
			 Slovakian Male Yorkshire Local Authority 
			 Slovakian Female Yorkshire Local Authority 
			 Nigerian Female South Other 
			 Moroccan Female West Midlands Home Office 
			 Cameroonian Male North East Other 
			 Not known Female South Home Office 
			 Nigerian Female Not Known Home Office 
			 Chinese Male West Midlands NGO 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Polish Male Yorkshire Police 
			 Nigerian Female South NGO 
			 Albanian Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Lithuanian Male South West Police 
			 Romanian Female West Midlands Police 
			 Czech Male North West Other 
			 Sri Lankan Female South Police 
			 Pakistani Male Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Vietnamese Male South Legal Representative 
			 Romanian Female South Other 
			 Albanian Female South Home Office 
			 Albanian Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Nigerian Female South NGO 
			 Albanian Female West Midlands NGO 
			 Kenyan Female East Home Office 
			 Hungarian Female South East Police 
			 Slovakian Male Yorkshire Local Authority 
			 Slovakian Female Yorkshire Local Authority 
		
	
	
		
			 Kenyan Female South Self Referral 
			 Cameroonian Female North West NGO 
			 Albanian Female South Police 
			 Slovakian Female West Midlands Police 
			 Albanian Male South East Police 
			 Iranian Male South NGO 
			 Nigerian Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Albanian Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Albanian Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Albanian Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Albanian Female South Home Office 
			 Albanian Female South East Other 
			 Czech Female South West NGO 
			 Bulgarian Male South West Police 
			 Hungarian Male South NGO 
			 Albanian Female South Home Office 
			 Albanian Female South NGO 
			 Nigerian Female Wales Home Office 
			 Polish Male Yorkshire Police 
			 Ugandan Female South Legal Representative 
			 Vietnamese Male East Midlands Legal Representative 
			 Slovakian Male Yorkshire Police 
			 Slovakian Female Yorkshire Police 
			 Albanian Female South Legal Representative 
			 Ethiopian Female South NGO 
			 Albanian Female South NGO 
			 Iraqi Female East Midlands NGO 
			 Albanian Female Yorkshire NGO

Illegal Immigrants: Employment

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individual prosecutions for employing an illegal worker under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 have been (a) brought and (b) successful in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: Employers have a responsibility to check that their employees have the right to work in the United Kingdom and this duty is underpinned by criminal and civil sanctions.
	The Home Office only holds data on individual prosecutions on its national operations database from 2012.
	(a) Five employers were charged in 2012 and five employers were charged in 2013 for an offence of knowingly employing illegal workers under section 21 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.
	1. The figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.
	2. Figures relate to employers charged (offence recorded as IAN 2006 S21) between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2013 recorded on the national operations database (NODMMX).
	3. Figures relate to individuals who may have been charged for more than one offence under section 21.
	4. Figures rounded to nearest five. In compliance with legislation such as the Data Protection Act 1998 and principle 5 of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, we are required to preserve the confidentiality of the data we collect, process and disseminate. In order to prevent the disclosure of personal information counts of individuals are rounded to the nearest multiple of five.
	5. Data extracted on 20 March 2014.
	(b) Under section 21 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, fewer than five employers were successfully prosecuted in 2012 and five employers were successfully prosecuted in 2013.
	1. The figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.
	2. Figures relate to employers successfully prosecuted (offence recorded as IAN 2006 S21) between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2013 recorded on the national operations database (NODMMX).
	3. Figures relate to individuals.
	4. Years refer to date of prosecution and charges may have been laid in the same or a previous year.
	5. In compliance with legislation such as the Data Protection Act 1998 and principle 5 of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, we are required to preserve the confidentiality of the data we collect, process and disseminate. In order to prevent the disclosure of personal information counts of individuals are rounded to the nearest multiple of five.
	6. Data extracted on 20 March 2014.
	The civil penalty notices in the table below were issued to employers for breaching the illegal working provisions in section 15 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 in each year since 2010.
	The figures are based on the number of civil penalties served at visited business addresses.
	Please note the figures are for penalties levied at the initial decision stage which may be reduced, cancelled, increased or reissued at the objection or appeal stage.
	
		
			 1 January to 31 December each year Number of civil penalties issued 
			 2010 2,092 
			 2011 1,424 
			 2012 1,215 
			 2013 1,823

Illegal Immigrants: Employment

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many maximum fines have been levied under the Immigration (Employment of Adults, Subject to Immigration Control) (Maximum Penalty) Order 2008 in each year since it was enacted.

James Brokenshire: The maximum penalty of £10,000 has been levied with regards to 22 employers. The breakdown of employers levied with the maximum penalty for each financial year is shown in the table.
	Please note the figures are for penalties levied against employers at the initial decision stage and may relate to more than one worker. A penalty may be reduced for a number of reasons, including if it was a first visit to the business; if the employer co-operated with the visit; or if the employer can provide evidence that a partial check has been undertaken. We propose to tighten and clarify the use of mitigating factors in the calculation of civil penalties with an increased focus on employer co-operation with the Home office.
	
		
			 Table of maximum penalties levied 
			  Number of civil penalties levied at Maximum Penalty of £10,000 
			 28 February 2008 to 31 March 2009 0 
			 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 8 
			 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 6 
			 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 5 
			 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 2 
			 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014 1 
			 Total 22

Illegal Immigrants: Employment

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fines have been levied under The Immigration (Employment of Adults Subject to Immigration Control) (Maximum Penalty) Order 2008 of a value of (a) up to £1000, (b) between £1000 and £2000, (c) between £2000 and £5000 and (d) between £5000 and £10000 to date.

James Brokenshire: Enforcement operations against illegal working have increased significantly, with a 47% increase in 2013 compared to 2012. The administration of the penalty scheme and administrative debt recovery processes have been reviewed, including with Cabinet Office input and are being streamlined and further improved.
	The information on the number of civil penalties levied is provided in the following table. Data has been provided from £2,500 upwards as this is the minimum penalty value that is levied in line with the published penalty calculation framework. The table includes values of £10,000 upwards to account for multiple workers per penalty.
	Please note the figures are for penalties levied at the initial decision stage which may be reduced, cancelled, increased or reissued at the objection or appeal stage.
	
		
			 Value of penalty £2,500-£5,000 £5,000-£10,000 £10,000 plus 
			 Total penalties levied 5,701 2,774 1,954

Immigration Controls

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the annual cost to her Department is of providing UK border control services at (a) Paris Gare Du Nord station, (b) Bruxelles Midi station and (c) Calais port and Eurotunnel terminus.

James Brokenshire: The annual costs of providing UK border control services are as follow:
	Paris Gare Du Nord station-£4.6 million
	Bruxelles Midi station-£3.3 million
	Calais port-£21.8 million
	Eurotunnel terminus (Coquelles)-£21.2 million
	The above resource costs are based on the last financial year’s data (2013-14) and are taken from the Home office accounting system Adelphi. These have not yet been audited. Publication of the annual set of accounts will not present these costs in this level of detail.

Offences against Children: Internet

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the communiqué of the internet safety summit at Downing Street, published on 18 November 2013, what progress has been made by internet companies on ensuring that child abuse images are not returned following search engine requests.

Karen Bradley: Child abuse is a horrific crime and the Government is determined to tackle it. We have made real progress through our work with the internet industry. Following this work, internet search engines have made changes to their search mechanisms, and these new measures have been effective in making it harder to access child abuse images. For example, Google has implemented changes that prevent child abuse results against 100,000 unique searches worldwide. National Crime Agency testing of these new measures shows that they have been effective in making it harder to access child abuse images, videos or pathways. This is now a constantly evolving approach that tracks the latest terms being used by paedophiles and cuts off access to child abuse material.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the budgets for criminal justice and emergency services will be devolved to police and crime commissioners; and what the total budget is that police and crime commissioners will inherit.

Damian Green: There are no current plans to transfer responsibility, and the budgets, for the criminal justice system or the emergency services to police and crime commissioners.
	The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act contains a duty to co-operate for police and crime commissioners and criminal justice partners which-although broad-sets the framework for Commissioners to play a substantial local leadership role. Commissioners are taking a prominent role in local justice matters and are, for example, taking seats (sometimes even as Chair) at their local criminal justice boards.
	The Government is further extending the remit of PCCs who will assume responsibility for commissioning local victims’ services in October 2014-complementing their other responsibilities to respond to local views and needs when drawing up plans to cut crime.
	The Government is also driving collaboration between local emergency services to deliver more effective services and better value for money for the public. We are providing funding through the Home Office Police Innovation Fund and DCLG’s Transformation Challenge Award and Fire Transformation Fund to support emergency services collaboration projects.

Russia

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent changes have been made in the issuing of visa applications at the Visa Centre in Moscow.

James Brokenshire: In March 2014 the management of the UK’s network of Russian visa application centres passed from VFS Global to Teleperformance. We are offering a full visa service in Russia and our global customer service standards continue to apply.
	Teleperformance opened all five new Visa Application Centres in Russia on time in March 2014. There was no break in service between the closure of the VFS centres and the opening of Teleperformance centres. The new Visa Application Centres are all fully functioning and there are appointments available at all of them.

Stationery

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what levels of stock her Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

Karen Bradley: The Home Department does not centrally hold information on the levels of stock for (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables. The Home Department has in place a contract under a Crown Commercial Service Framework Agreement for the provision of office stationery and stock management, which is managed by each business area.
	Stock management on (b) printer cartridges is delivered through the Department’s Facilities Management providers.

Telecommunications: Databases

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the consequences for the UK of the decision of the European Court of Justice in Joined Cases C-293/12 and C-594/12 (Digital Rights Ireland and Seitlinger and Others); what implication that decision has for (a) enforcement of the Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009 and (b) her powers to reimburse any expenses incurred by a public communications provider in complying with those Regulations.

Karen Bradley: As the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), stated to the Home Affairs Committee in answer to a question from the hon. Member on 8 April, we are considering the judgment and its implications carefully. The retention of communications data is absolutely fundamental to ensure law enforcement agencies have the powers they need to investigate crime, protect the public and ensure national security.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of links between tobacco smuggling and organised crime.

Karen Bradley: Tobacco smuggling is a global, highly-profitable business, dominated by organised crime groups with the resources to continually adapt their methods in an attempt to evade UK controls. Border Force and HMRC are working collaboratively across Government and with overseas partners to disrupt tobacco smuggling and implement civil penalties and sanctions against criminals.

Verne Prison

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish the number of individuals held at HM Prison The Verne solely for immigration purposes as part of the quarterly immigration statistics.

James Brokenshire: Published figures on people detained in the United Kingdom solely under Immigration Act powers include those held in short term holding facilities, pre departure accommodation and immigration removal centres. However, figures exclude those held in police cells, Prison Service establishments, short-term holding rooms at ports and airports (for less than 24 hours), and those recorded as detained under both criminal and immigration powers and their dependants.
	The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of people detained in the United Kingdom for immigration purposes, within Immigration Statistics: October-December 2013, from the GOV.UK website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
	The provisional date for HMP The Verne to become an Immigration Removal Centre is September 2014 and following that change specific figures for the Verne would be regularly published alongside those for other Immigration Removal Centres.

Victims: Advocacy

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of young person’s advocates in supporting young victims of crime;
	(2)  if she will publish a list of young person’s advocates in each region.

Norman Baker: The Home Office is funding 13 young people’s advocates posts for three years (April 2012 to March 2015) to provide direct support to young women who have been victims, or are at risk of, sexual violence by gangs. The full breakdown of posts, organisations and areas covered is available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/news/support-for-young-victims-of-sexual-violence-and-gangs
	Measures are in place to conduct an assessment of perceptions of the scheme among young people’s advocates and local practitioners in the areas where they are based.

DEFENCE

Air Force: Pay

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that RAF medics are placed on the same pay band as their equivalents in the Army and Navy.

Anna Soubry: The RAF medic trade is currently undergoing a job review which will inform future pay arrangements. We expect this to be completed by summer 2014. In parallel, the Department is considering the introduction of a new pay structure across all other rank trades, including RAF medics and the closest equivalent trades in the Royal Navy and Army, as part of the Department’s New Employment Model programme. If approved, the new structure would be introduced no earlier than April 2016.

Armed Forces

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what comparative assessment he has made of the long-term effects on the level of war pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments being uprated annually in line with (a) price inflation, (b) average earnings and (c) whichever is the higher of consumer price index price inflation, average earnings or 2.5 per cent; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: No comparative assessment of the kind suggested has been made. The aim of uprating is to protect war pension and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments against rising prices. In line with other public sector schemes, payments through the armed forces pensions and compensation schemes have increased with reference to the Consumer Price Index.

Armed Forces

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many equal opportunities investigation officers there are in each branch of the armed forces; what their qualifications are; what training is provided to them; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many members of the service complaints investigation teams there are in each branch of the armed forces; what their qualifications are; what training is provided to them; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence maintains a cadre of Harassment Investigation Officers who investigate complaints raised within the Services and by MOD civilians concerning bullying and harassment, and who are not permanent employees of the Department; Appendix six to the 2013 Annual Report of the Service Complaints Commissioner provides further details. Beyond this centrally-managed team, the three Services maintain teams of investigators, many of whom are drawn from their own Service police force, who can investigate complex complaints.
	The Royal Navy has one Complaint Investigation and Mediation Team (CIMT), comprising two members of the Royal Navy Police with many years of investigative experience. In addition to their extensive police investigative training, they are Equality and Diversity Advisers, and have undertaken the MOD Harassment Investigation Course and professional Mediation Training (through an external training provider).
	The Army currently has six permanent members and three temporary assigned (12 months) soldiers in its Service Complaints Investigation Team (SCIT), which replaced the Equal Opportunities Investigation Team. All members of the SCIT are serving Senior Non-Commissioned Officers from the Royal Military Police, and hold the following qualifications:
	Initial Military Police Investigation Course
	Volume Crime Investigation Course
	Management Investigation Course
	Police and Criminal Evidence Act Interviewing Course
	Disclosure Officers Course
	Equality and Diversity Advisor Course
	On arrival in the SCIT, investigators receive work place training and are allocated a supervising investigator for a period of three months or as necessary.
	The RAF has a Service Complaints Team, and an Equal Opportunities Investigation Team (EOIT), which investigates complex equality and diversity complaints. The latter team comprises a Warrant Officer and a Flight Sergeant, both members of the RAF Police, and an administrator. The investigators complete the following courses as part of their role training:
	Equality and Diversity Advisor
	Harassment Investigation Officer
	Fundamentals of Employment Law (through CIPD)
	Preparing for Employment Tribunal (through CIPD)
	Certificate in Bullying and Harassment Investigation-City and Guilds Level 4

Armed Forces: Death

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information is held on the value of the residual estates of service men and women killed in action who were not married at the time of their death.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) would not have visibility of the residual value of the estate of a Service person, as it is the responsibility of the executor or personal representative to collect information on any monies due (such as bank accounts, insurance payouts) or owed (such as bank loans).
	The MOD would inform the executor of any money owing to the estate from the Department. This can comprise: arrears of pay; arrears of allowances (operational allowance, council tax refund); credit for untaken annual leave; cash found in effects and the death in service lump sum payment if this falls due to the estate (rather than being paid to a qualifying beneficiary under the pension scheme).
	Payment is made to the executor once they obtain either a Grant of Representation or Confirmation or Letters of Administration or for small amounts only (under £5,000) on completion of a Form of Declaration supplied by the MOD.

Armed Forces: Disciplinary Proceedings

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service complaints have been received following armed forces personnel being disciplined after receiving a police caution; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: None.

Armed Forces: Disciplinary Proceedings

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2014, Official Report, column 650W, on armed forces: disciplinary proceedings, what the (a) number and (b) total sum was of ex gratia or other payments made to armed forces personnel incorrectly doubly punished following a police caution; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2014, Official Report, column 650W, on armed forces: disciplinary proceedings, how many and what amount of ex gratia payments were made to armed forces personnel incorrectly disciplined following receipt of a police caution; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether agreement was received from HM Treasury to the Top Level Budget holder in his Department making ex gratia payments to members of the armed forces wrongly disciplined under AGAI67 following a police caution; what estimate the Treasury made of the cost of such payments; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: No such ex-gratia payments have been made.

Armed Forces: Disciplinary Proceedings

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to contact members of the armed forces wrongly disciplined in addition to receiving a police caution; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: No such steps have been taken.

Armed Forces: Disciplinary Proceedings

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many senior members of each branch of the armed forces missed a promotion following the receipt of a police caution in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: None. Administrative action is no longer taken against Service personnel who receive a police caution.

Armed Forces: Disciplinary Proceedings

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2014, Official Report, columns 619-20W, on army: disciplinary proceedings, how many of the individuals discharged in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011 under AGAI67 (i) were discharged as a result of cautions and (ii) have been notified that they were wrongly discharged; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The information requested can only be gained through a manual search of personnel records and therefore could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	No steps have been taken to notify individuals.

Armed Forces: Disciplinary Proceedings

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the his reply 192877, how many service complaints taken to an employment tribunal were settled (a) by out of court or other payments and (b) at Army Board CO Level 2 complaints appeal; what the total of those payments was; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The following table sets out details of Employment Tribunal (ET) cases brought by Service personnel since 2008 which were subject to an out of court settlement. I am unable to answer the second part of this question as the internal appeal process does not include any separate complaints appeal stage which is distinct from the Superior Officer or Defence Council levels.
	
		
			 Calendar year Number of ET cases settled out of court (of those lodged in each year) Total settlement monies (paid against ET claims lodged in each year) (£) 
			 2008 27 393,584 
			 2009 4 131,000 
			 2010 4 28,075 
			 2011 6 37,243 
			 2012 1 1- 
			 2013 0 0 
			 1 Withheld Notes: 1. Data refer to the date of submission of the ET claim. ET settlements and monies paid may have occurred in different years, but are presented in this format to show the outcomes of the claims which were lodged in each calendar year. 2. Settlement payments made are covered by Compromise Agreements which contain a confidentiality clause. For this reason the figure for the single case settled out of court in 2012 is withheld. 3. The figure for 2008 includes the Royal Irish class action Industrial Tribunal cases in which 21 of the 22 complainants received a settlement. 4. Not all cases lodged in 2013 have reached their conclusion.

Armed Forces: Housing

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance and support his Department provides to military veterans and their families on securing stable housing; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The £200 million Forces Help to Buy scheme commenced on 1 April 2014, meaning that Servicemen and women can now borrow up to 50% of their salary, up to a maximum of £25,000, interest-free, providing a boost to those needing to find a deposit to buy their own home.
	To assist the transition of serving personnel to civilian life, the MOD offers a wide-ranging resettlement programme which includes a briefing by the Joint Services Housing Advice Office. This offers advice and information about a range of topics that armed forces personnel may find useful relating to an individual's housing needs before they leave the armed forces.
	Once a person leaves service, any need for social housing becomes a local authority matter. The MOD is working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government to ensure the fair treatment of service families in need of social housing and ensure they are given proper priority on housing waiting lists.
	The Government recognises that there is more that can be done to provide practical support to our veterans and their families in this area. In February I announced LIBOR funding of £40 million to support charities which assist veterans with housing needs in order to build new homes, buy new accommodation and renovate old facilities. Projects are expected to include hostels and half-way houses for veterans who have fallen on hard times, supported housing for the wounded, injured and sick, and long-term care homes.

Armed Forces: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the names and causes of death of all UK service personnel who died in the course of or in connection with operations in Northern Ireland between 1969 and 2007.

Mark Francois: A definitive central list of those Service personnel who lost their lives on operations in Northern Ireland between 1969 and 2007 has not been formally produced to date, though the respective regimental or service histories and records are available, together with Defence’s central data and the armed forces Memorial lists maintained by the tri-Service Joint Casualty and Compassionate Cell. The Department intends to produce a single centrally collated document in due course, however, which will be made available through gov.uk once complete.

Armed Forces: Offenders

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2014, Official Report, column 443W, on armed forces: offenders, when he was first informed of this issue; what potential options are being considered; if he will ensure that the options under consideration do not disadvantage personnel who have been wronged; when he will update the House on any decision; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when his Department first became aware that they had been wrongly allowing armed forces personnel to be subjected to a double punishment under (a) AGAI67 and (b) summary hearings; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  when his Department first became aware that it had illegally subjected armed forces personnel to double punishment under (a) AGAI67 and (b) summary hearings; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The Department first recognised the implications of changes to rehabilitation legislation relating to police cautions in September 2011, since when no administrative action has been taken against service personnel who receive a police caution. Officials brought the issue to the attention of Ministers in early December 2011 and have provided further advice at intervals since then.
	It would be inappropriate to disclose the options that officials have presented for consideration. This is a complex matter, and I will update the House when I have reached a judgment

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on (a) armed forces recruitment and (b) armed forces recruitment marketing in 2012-13.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence does not report the costs of recruitment marketing separately. The costs detailed in the following table show the total cost of regular recruiting by service and include manpower costs; marketing campaigns (specific advertising); marketing operations (provision of the recruiting process i.e. call centres and website maintenance), and contract costs (i.e. medical and fitness testing). It should be noted that despite the redundancy notice, the armed forces are required to constantly recruit every year to maintain the levels of young personnel entering the three services.
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Financial year Royal Navy Army Royal Air Force Total 
			 2012-13 33.2 122.8 35.4 191.4

AWE

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff from the US Departments of (a) Energy and (b) Defense are currently on secondment to the AWE facilities at (i) Aldermaston and (ii) Burghfield.

Philip Dunne: There are two US staff from the Department of Defense on secondment to the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Aldermaston. No US staff are on secondment to AWE Burghfield.

Bridges

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) trucks for bridging, (b) medium girder bridges, (c) medium over girder bridges, (d) air portable ferry bridges, (e) pontoon sets, (f) LSB bridge and ramp sets and (g) launch sets are owned by his Department; how many are stored at MOD Ashchurch; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: The following table summarises the requested vehicles and bridging equipment, and the quantity currently held by the Defence Support Group at Ashchurch:
	
		
			 Equipment asset Total assets held Quantity held by DSG at Ashchurch 
			 Automotive Bridge Laying Equipment 29 11 
			 Bridging Vehicle 64 28 
			 Truck Bridge Transporter 45 12 
			 Pontoon Set 3 3 
			 Air Portable Ferry Bridge 11 2 
			 Air Portable Ferry Bridge Trailers 66 23 
			 Air Portable Bridge Powered Pontoons 22 10 
			 Air Portable Ferry Bridge Pontoons 44 16 
			 Medium Girder Bridges 9 1 
			 Medium Girder Over Bridges 33 3 
			 Logistic Support Bridge 18 7 
			 Logistic Support Bridge Adjustable Ramp 17 9 
			 Logistic Support Bridge Pier Set 3 2 
			 Logistic Support Bridge Foot Walk 3 2 
			 Logistic Support Bridge Distributions Beam 5 4 
			 Logistic Support Bridge Span Junction 7 4 
			 Logistic Support Bridge Launching Set 17 9 
			 Logistic Support Bridge Long Span Set 8 3

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of readiness to defend its Overseas Territories in the event of attack.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) regularly consults with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other Government Departments and intelligence agencies, as well as our allies and partners, constantly to review or identify potential threats to UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs). In the first instance the MOD seeks to deter such attacks using deterrence measures including, where necessary, permanently based military garrisons or dedicated patrols, visits by deployed military forces, and more broadly the maintenance of world class deployable military forces. Should deterrence fail to prevent an attack, the Department remains confident that it has the necessary contingency plans and high readiness deployable forces in the UK and elsewhere to respond accordingly to any attack on a UKOT.

DSG Ashchurch

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2014, Official Report, column 182W, on Defence Infrastructure Organisation, whether there are any covenants on the use of DIO Ashchurch; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Murrison: There are two covenants on the site at Ashchurch. These relate to:
	The erection and maintenance of stock proof fences; and
	The reservation of mines and minerals and rights of access to light and air.

Joint Exercises: Aberdeen

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason an Apache helicopter had to make an emergency landing outside Aberdeen during Exercise Joint Warrior.

Philip Dunne: The Apache helicopter was taking part in a biannual joint multi national exercise and was travelling from West Freugh to Kinloss when the crew were given a warning notice. They followed correct flight procedures and safely conducted an emergency landing.
	An engineering fault investigation report identified a failure with the oil pump and the engine is now being replaced before further engineering checks are conducted and the aircraft is cleared to fly.

Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last discussed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty with his counterparts from the Permanent Members of the UN Security Council; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Murrison: The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), discusses a range of topics with his counterparts from the Permanent Members of the UN Security Council, including subjects related to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. However, engagement with our international partners on this Treaty is led by the Foreign Secretary.

Private Sector

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many jobs have been transferred from the public to the private sector as a result of privatisations or outsourcing by his Department since May 2010.

Philip Dunne: Transfer of work from the public to the private sector continues to be considered, among other options, as a way to deliver the savings set out at the spending review and to increase the efficiency of Government. The Department ensures that the staff involved in such transfers are treated fairly and consistently and that their terms and conditions are protected through Transfer of Undertakings (TUPE) arrangements.
	A full breakdown of civilian outflow from the MOD, including through privatisation of function, is provided in the MOD Quarterly Civilian Personnel Reports. The latest version (as at 1 January 2014, published on 6 February 2014) can be found at the following address:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/284487/civilian-personnel-report-1_january_2014.pdf

Public Expenditure

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funds his Department has returned to the Exchequer as a result of underspend in each year since 2010.

Philip Hammond: In 2010-11, the Ministry of Defence returned no funds to the Exchequer; in 2011-12, the MOD returned £300 million; and in 2012-13, the MOD returned no funds. Final accounts for 2013-14 are not yet available but the MOD has an agreement with the Treasury for carry-forward of underspend at Supplementary Estimates.

Reserve Forces

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to encourage full-time regular soldiers to join the reserves after they leave the Army.

Anna Soubry: We are keen to see ex-members of the Regular Army join the Army Reserve and have two schemes in place to support this:
	Ex-Regular Commitment Bonus:
	£10,000 over four payments.
	Payable from 1 April 2014, backdated to 1 January 2014.
	The Scheme will run until 31 March 2017.
	Ex-Regular Reduced Commitment Incentive. This allows ex-Regulars to serve on a reduced commitment for up to three years from when they join the Army Reserve:
	Reduced annual training requirement (19 days, down from 27 for Regional units).
	Reduced call out liability (except under sect 52 of RFA 96, no call-out liability; aside for national emergencies).
	Reduced Military Annual Training Tests.
	Ex-Regulars who participate in the Commitment Bonus scheme are ineligible to benefit from the Army Reserve Reduced Commitment scheme.

Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual saving to the defence budget will be from the disbandment of the Second Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

Mark Francois: The annual cost of a Regiment will depend on that Regiment’s size, role and manpower mix and will comprise a combination of personnel, training, infrastructure and equipment. This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, based on manpower capitation rates, the average annual cost of a Light Infantry Battalion is in the region of £27.5 million.

Stationery

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what levels of stock his Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

Anna Soubry: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Trident

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the (a) associated costs and (b) utility of the Trident Alternatives Review.

Philip Hammond: I have made no such assessment.

Uganda

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will withdraw security assistance to Uganda following the ratification of the Anti-Homosexuality Act in that country.

Mark Francois: The Government has no plans to review or suspend our assistance, which is in the UK's security interests. Respect for human rights underpins all UK training and support for overseas security programmes.

USA

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the timetable is for renewing the 1958 Agreement between the UK and US for Co-operation in the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence Purposes; whether he will lay the draft renewed agreement before Parliament; and what role the British embassy in Washington DC will play in the renewal.

Philip Dunne: We are continuing to work with the US and satisfactory progress is being made. Parliament will be informed of the amending text at the appropriate time. The British embassy in Washington DC will facilitate discussions between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the US Department of State.

USA

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff from (a) his Department and (b) the Atomic Weapons Establishment are on secondment to an institution in the United States involved in nuclear weapons development or nuclear warhead stockpile, stewardship, stability and safety research.

Philip Dunne: There are no Ministry of Defence staff and 15 Atomic Weapons Establishment staff employed by AWE plc on secondment to these institutions in the United States.

HEALTH

Anorexia

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what level of body mass index a patient with anorexia nervosa must have to be admitted to in-patient care.

Norman Lamb: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline on eating disorder states that low body mass index alone is not a reliable indicator. Patients with anorexia nervosa need to be admitted to hospital when, in the clinical judgment of the relevant medical professional, the patient is in imminent danger of death or serious harm.

Antibiotics

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to encourage investment in antibiotic resistance research and development.

Daniel Poulter: The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is running a themed call on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research across eight different funding programmes. Successful research bids will be announced between summer 2014 and spring 2015.
	About £7.2 million over five years is being invested in two new NIHR health protection research units focusing on healthcare-associated infections and AMR. These units became operational from April 2014 and are partnerships between universities and Public Health England.
	To promote joint action, the Department is working together with the other major United Kingdom (UK) funders of AMR research through a new research funders forum. The forum first met in December 2013.
	To further international AMR research collaboration, the UK, through the Medical Research Council, has been playing a key role in a European Union joint programming initiative on AMR.

Arthritis

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on how (a) morbid obesity and (b) obesity affects the development of osteoarthritis.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England has considered the link between obesity (including morbid obesity) and osteoarthritis.
	The role of obesity as a strong risk factor for the development of knee osteoarthritis is well documented1,2. There is less evidence on the relationship between obesity and osteoarthritis of the hip or hand.
	A recent meta-analysis found that obese people were almost four times more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis than those with a healthy body weight2, 3.
	1 Lee R, Kean WF. Obesity and knee osteoarthritis. Inflammopharmacology. 2012 Apr;20(2):53-8.
	2 Blagojevic M, Jinks C, Jeffery A, Jordan KP. Risk factors for onset of osteoarthritis of the knee in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2010;18(1):24-33.
	3 Muthuri SG, Hui M, Doherty M, Zhang W. What if we prevent obesity? Risk reduction in knee osteoarthritis estimated through a meta-analysis of observational studies. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2011 Jul;63(7):982-90.

Autism

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether he plans to issue specific guidance relating to pathological demand avoidance;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that the diagnosis and treatment of pathological demand avoidance is not subject to regional variations;
	(3)  what guidance he gives GPs and clinical commissioning groups on pathological demand avoidance and its appropriate treatment;
	(4)  what steps he is taking to improve the well-being of children and adults with pathological demand avoidance.

Norman Lamb: Pathological demand avoidance (PDA) is not recognised within either the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). As a result, there are no specific recommendations for the diagnosis or treatment of PDA.
	In the course of the development of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline on the treatment of autism in children and young people (CG128), the developers looked at differential diagnoses for autism. In this, they did consider PDA, identifying it as a particular subgroup of autism that could also be described as oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). The guidance recommends that consideration should be given to differential diagnoses for autism (including ODD) and whether specific assessments are needed to help interpret the autism history and observations. However, due to the lack of evidence and the fact that the syndrome is not recognised within the DSM or ICD classifications, NICE was unable to develop specific recommendations on the assessment and treatment of PDA.
	The Department therefore has no current plans to issue specific guidance on PDA.
	However, we would expect the diagnosis, appropriate treatment and well-being of people with autism spectrum disorders to be addressed in plans outlined in both the adult autism strategy, “Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives”, and the recently published update of the adult autism strategy, “Think Autism”.
	The strategy and the recent update both clearly recognise the importance of diagnosis as a vital step to ensuring appropriate support and treatment. Since the publication of the strategy in 2010, we have taken a number of steps to support local areas develop a clear pathway to diagnosis. Health services should have a pathway to diagnosis just as local authorities should have a clear framework for assessing the care and support needs of children and adults with autism. The Department for Education has worked closely with the Department of Health over a number of years to encourage early identification of potential autism and to link this with relevant support in school.
	The NICE Clinical Guidelines, “Recognition, referral and diagnosis of children and young people on the autism spectrum and Recognition, referral, diagnosis and management of adults on the autism spectrum” recommend the creation of diagnostic leads in every area together with a multi-disciplinary autism group to support the development and delivery of clear, local autism pathways. Our recent self-assessment exercise to map progress locally and nationally with delivery of the adult autism strategy showed that these structures are in place in many areas which should avoid unacceptable regional variations.
	Improving well-being of children and adults with autism is a core component of “Think Autism” which focuses on three key areas: enabling people to be included in their local community; promoting innovative, local ideas, services or projects which can help people in their communities through new models of care; providing comprehensive, joined up advice and information for people.

Baby Care Units

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies have required neo-natal care in each NHS trust in each of the last four years.

Daniel Poulter: Information on the number of babies requiring neonatal care over the past four years for each neonatal unit in England for 2010-13 has been placed in the Library. This information has been extracted from the National Neonatal Research Database.

Cancer: West Sussex

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of patients with suspected cancer see a specialist within two weeks in the area served by the Coastal West Sussex clinical commissioning group.

Jane Ellison: In the second quarter of 2013-14 (July to September 2013), 98.4% of patients in the area served by the Coastal West Sussex clinical commissioning group (CCG) with suspected cancer were referred to a specialist within two weeks. In the third quarter of 2013-14 (October to December 2013), 98.5% of patients were referred within two weeks.
	A patient should wait a maximum of two weeks to see a specialist after being urgently referred with suspected cancer by their general practitioner. The operational standard specifies that 93% of patients should be seen within this time.

Cannabis

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the medicinal use of cannabis.

Norman Lamb: Cannabis and its preparations are class B controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Cannabis is also subject to international drug control under United Nations Conventions. In the United Kingdom, it is illegal to produce, possess, supply, import or export cannabis except under Home Office licence. Cannabis does not have marketing authorisation for medicinal use in the UK. It is therefore listed in schedule 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001.

Cardiovascular System: Diseases

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to encourage clinical commissioning groups to implement the Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy;
	(2)  what monitoring and assessment his Department has undertaken on the performance of clinical commissioning groups in implementing the Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy;
	(3)  what responsibilities his Department has identified for clinical commissioning groups in implementing the Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy;
	(4)  what steps he is taking to ensure clinical commissioning groups are fulfilling their roles and responsibilities as identified in the Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy;
	(5)  what the role of clinical commissioning groups is in implementing the Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy.

Jane Ellison: NHS England has established a working group with Public Health England which meets quarterly to discuss progress on implementing the recommendations of the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Outcomes Strategy.
	It is for the boards of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), working with their health and wellbeing boards, to monitor and benchmark their progress on implementation of the strategy and local action taken to improve CVD health outcomes in general.
	NHS England has produced various tools and resources to support CCGs to do this, including “Our Ambition to Reduce Premature Mortality: A resource to support commissioners in setting a level of ambition”, which can be found at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/premature-mortality/
	This web-based resource encompasses a range of evidence-based clinical interventions, many of which are linked to the actions in the CVD Outcomes Strategy.
	CCGs are also being encouraged to implement the CVD Outcomes Strategy with the support of the 12 strategic clinical networks. These networks are working with CCGs and other partners in the health and care system to identify local and regional priorities for cardiac and renal disease, diabetes and stroke.

Cystic Fibrosis

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  with reference to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust's report, Hope for more: Improving access to lung transplantation and care for people with cystic fibrosis, what estimate he has made of the donor lung utilisation rate for transplantation; and what measures he has identified as having the greatest potential to increase utilisation;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of existing arrangements for donor lung allocation for people with cystic fibrosis;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the psychological support available to individuals with cystic fibrosis after lung transplantation.

Jane Ellison: At present, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) allocates donated deceased lungs to designated transplant centres on a zonal basis, and the centre is responsible for selecting the patient. The transplant surgeon will use their clinical knowledge to assess both the donor lungs and potential recipients to find the best match, based on aspects such as the risks associated with the lungs and the severity of the patient's condition. The current lung allocation system is monitored closely to ensure there is equity for patients across the UK. NHSBT continue to consider practical steps within the current system which could improve patient outcomes.
	The Cardiothoracic Organs Advisory Group, part of NHSBT, is presently reviewing the current approach focusing on equity and better. outcomes for patients. Any recommendations to change allocation policy will be considered by NHSBT, who will check to ensure that they meet the aims of the allocation system and that they have the support of transplant stakeholders before making any changes.
	Decisions about psychosocial support available to people with cystic fibrosis after lung transplantation are a matter for clinicians and commissioners when drawing up the provision of care services for patients.

Eating Disorders: Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service beds for young people suffering from eating disorders there are; and what their occupancy levels were in each year since 2010.

Norman Lamb: NHS England advises that there are 232 specifically commissioned eating disorder beds for young people. NHS England also advises that the majority of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service Tier 4 units (618 beds) will also provide services for eating disorders.
	Data on occupancy levels in each year since 2010 are not available.

Forensic Science

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of female physicians available to carry out forensic examinations of victims of crime (a) nationally and (b) in each region.

Jane Ellison: The information requested is not collected centrally. Provision of forensic medical examiners for sexual assault work is the responsibility of police forces.
	In 2009, the “Revised National Service Guide: A Resource for Developing Sexual Assault Referral Centres”, was jointly published by the Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Department. It recommended that people who have been sexually assaulted should be offered choice in relation to the gender of the examining physician wherever possible. “Feasibility of Transferring Budget and Commissioning Responsibility for Forensic Sexual Offences Examination Work from the Police to the NHS”, commissioned by the Department and the Home Office and published in 2011 by the university of Birmingham, found that police forces were experiencing difficulties in recruiting female forensic physicians especially where the rota is combined with police custody health care work. Access to female doctors is considered to be an important indicator of service quality and police forces now work with NHS England to co-commission better quality forensic and sexual assault public health services for victims of sexual violence.
	The Department also funded the establishment of the Diploma in Forensic and Clinical Aspects of Sexual Offences, an examination established by the Society of Apothecaries and now hosted by the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine, which accommodates flexible working patterns, especially to enable female doctors to complete the programme.

General Practitioners

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the ratio of GPs to patients is in each clinical commissioning group area in England.

Daniel Poulter: The information has been placed in the Library.

Health and Wellbeing Boards

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role he envisages for Health and Wellbeing boards in supporting people into employment; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: There is clear evidence that being in good employment is protective of health. Conversely, unemployment, particularly long-term unemployment, has significant impact on physical and mental health and is a driver of health inequalities. Jobs also need to be secure and of good quality, offer the flexibility to balance work and family life, and protection from adverse working conditions that can damage health.
	The Department has not set out a vision for the role of health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) in respect of any particular health issue over another, as this would risk undermining one of the core roles of HWBs-that they should set their vision and strategy in a way that best reflects local needs.
	However, through their wide-ranging membership, and ongoing engagement with the local community and key local stakeholders, boards can provide valuable opportunities to co-ordinate action across a range of wider factors that impact on the community's health and health inequalities-such as employment.
	A key route for doing so is through the development of Joint Strategic Needs Assessments, which in turn will inform local Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategies. HWBs are responsible for overseeing these locally-led processes to identify the current and future health and wellbeing needs of the local population. This may include an analysis of local employment issues and other wider determinants of health.
	HWBs also play a key role in driving improvement against the key measures of the Public Health Outcomes Framework. The framework includes measures on 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training; employment for those with long-term health conditions; and sickness absence rate.

Health Services

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will carry out a review of the NHS Outcomes Framework in 2014.

Jane Ellison: The Department is planning to carry out a review the NHS Outcomes Framework in 2014, including public consultation. The review is intended to inform the refreshed NHS Outcomes Framework 2015-16, which will be published in autumn 2014.

Health Visitors

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health visitors there are in post; what change there has been in the number in post since May 2010; how many new health visitors are required in order to reach his target of 4,200 new health visitors by April 2015; how many student health visitors are undergoing health visitor training; when they are due to finish training and begin practice; what his regional targets are for the 4,200 new health visitors; and what proportion of health visitors are currently in post in each such region.

Daniel Poulter: As at December 2013, there are 9,9591 full-time equivalents (FTEs) health visitors in post in England. Overall, there are 1,867 more health visitors compared to the May 2010 baseline of 8,092 (growth of 23%). Based on the December data, a further 2,333 (FTE) new health visitors are required in order to reach the target of 4,200 new health visitors by April 2015.
	Health Education England advises that the number of health visitor students starting training between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2014 was 2,840. Health visitor training is normally a course of one year's duration; therefore these students will be able to join the health visitor workforce at some point in the 12 months from April 2014 onwards.
	NHS England has set the following goals at regional level to facilitate delivery of 4,2002 new health visitors by April 2015:
	
		
			  Number 
			 North 1,064 
			 Midlands and East 1,372 
			 London 691 
			 South 1,126 
			 Total 4,253 
		
	
	The regional breakdown of the current number of health visitors (FTE) increases over the May 2010 baseline position is:
	
		
			  Number 
			 North 673 
			 Midlands and East 662 
			 London 78 
			 South 456 
			 Total 11,867 
			 1 The figures do not sum to total due to rounding. 
		
	
	1 Latest data (for December 2013) published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre on 25 March 2014.
	2 The allocations shown aim to deliver a “contingency” level of 53 FTE health visitors over 4,200 FTEs.

Human Papillomavirus

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total annual cost and take up of the human papillomavirus vaccination programme for teenage girls was in each county in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Information held on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake data is only available at old/former primary care trust (PCT) level, not county level. This information is held in the following reports and these have been placed in the Library:
	Annual HPV vaccine uptake in England: 2008-09—Appendix 1 (pages 19-23)
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130107105354/http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/@ps/documents/digitalasset/dh_111676.pdf
	Annual HPV vaccine coverage in England in 2009-10—Table 5 (pages 20-28)
	www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/215800/dh_123826.pdf
	Annual HPV vaccine coverage in England in 2010-11—Table 1 (pages 18-12)
	http://media.dh.gov.uk/network/211/files/2012/03/120319_HPV_UptakeReport2010-11-revised_acc.pdf
	HPV Vaccination Programme: HPV Annual Survey 2011-12
	Provisional annual data for routine cohort, year 8 for the HPV Annual survey 2011-12
	http://media.dh.gov.uk/network/211/files/2013/01/2900744_HPV_AnnualVaccineUptake11-12_acc.pdf
	Annual HPV vaccine coverage in England: 2012-13
	Provisional annual data for routine cohort, year 8 for the HPV Annual survey 2012-13
	www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/266190/HPV_AnnualData Table2012_13_SHA_acc2.pdf
	Funding given to PCTs for the administration of the HPV vaccination programme is as follows:
	‘For financial year 2008-09, funding was £8.9 million for the routine Programme (12 to 13 years) and £10 million for the catch-up Programme (17 to 18 years), with an overall total of £18.9 million
	For financial year 2009-10, funding was £8.9 million for routine Programme (12 to 13 years), £16 million for the accelerated Catch-up Programme (14 to 16 years) and £17 million for the catch-up Programme (16 to 18 years), with an overall total of £41.9 million.
	From financial year 2010-11, the funding is for the routine programme only (12 to 13 years). For each financial year, 2010-11 and 2011-12 the funding was £8.9 million and in 2012-13 the funding was £7.8 million. NHS England became responsible for funding the administration of the HPV programme from 2013-14.
	The additional budget spent in association with the HPV vaccination programme (all communication materials, including advertising) is as follows:
	£4.3 million in financial year 2008-09, £4.2 million in financial year 2009-10, £387,500 in financial year in 2010-11, £13,000 in financial year 2011-12 and no spend in financial year 2012-13.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish research carried out by his Department on the (a) provision of IVF cycles by clinical commissioning groups and (b) criteria used by clinical commissioning groups to determine the number of cycles to which each woman is entitled.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many courses of IVF treatment patients can access in each clinical commissioning group area in each English region.

Jane Ellison: The level of provision of infertility treatment, as for all health services they commission, is decided by local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and will take into account the needs of the population overall. The CCG's decisions are underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local health care needs. As such, provision of services will vary in response to local priorities.
	To support CCGs in their commissioning of infertility services, NHS England issued a factsheet in February 2013 which sets out how CCGs should approach these responsibilities. NHS England also expects that all those involved in commissioning infertility treatment services to be fully aware of the importance of having regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence fertility guidelines.
	During 2010 and 2013 the Department funded Infertility Network UK, the leading infertility patient support group, to produce advice for NHS commissioners about standardising eligibility criteria for fertility services. The subsequent report by Infertility Network UK is signposted in the factsheet. Neither the Department nor NHS England collects information relating to individual CCG policies.

Independent Mental Health Advocates

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department collects on referrals to services providing independent mental health advocacy under the Mental Health Act 2009; what annual reporting processes he has put in place in relation to those referrals; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The Care Quality Commission, as the regulator of the Mental Health Act 1983 (the Act), reports annually on its monitoring of the Act. This is presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State. The 2012-13 annual report found that in the six months from October 2012 to March 2013, very few wards, on which patients were detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, did not have access to Independent Mental Health Advocate (IMHA) services. This was a considerable improvement in access to IMHAs compared to the previous year. On 1 April 2013 the responsibility to commission IMHA services passed to local authorities.

Medical Records: Data Protection

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what authority the Health and Social Care and Information Centre requires for the disclosure to other bodies of identifiable hospital episode statistics data.

Daniel Poulter: The Health and Social Care Information Centre is able to generate statistics about hospital activity and to support research and analysis. A part of this process includes the disclosure of data from Hospital Episode Statistics, under Section 9 of The Health and Social Care Act 2012 (Commencement No.4, Transitional, Savings and Transitory Provisions) Order 2013.
	Recipients of data in identifiable form require authority in order to be able to receive the data. This authority takes one of two forms either by explicit patient consent or by other statutory basis, for example, a court order.

Medical Records: Databases

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 44W, on medical records: databases, and with reference to the oral evidence given by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) on 8 April 2014, what the names of the 249 holders of commercial re-use licences are; and what purpose of use of (a) HSCIC and (b) NHS Information Centre data was permitted under each such licence.

Daniel Poulter: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) is committed to openness and transparency around the use of health data. The HSCIC has announced a review of all data releases made by the NHS Information Centre (NHSIC), which is now in progress. This review is being led by Sir Nick Partridge, a non-executive director on the HSCIC board and former chief executive of the Terence Higgins Trust. His report will be published, shortly after it has gone to the HSCIC board, before the end of May 2014. The 249 licences, referred to on 8 April 2014, relate to agreements approved by the NHSIC and will therefore be covered within the review.

Mental Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many times NHS England has discussed parity of esteem between mental and physical health at board meetings in the last five years;
	(2)  whether it is his policy that recommendations of the Francis Report should apply to mental health.

Norman Lamb: The Government has enshrined in law the equal importance of mental health and physical health and we have made improving mental health and treating mental illness a key priority. Parity of esteem has been discussed on each occasion the board of NHS England has met over the past year. Parity of esteem was a central topic during preparation of the draft planning guidance and the dedicated business development session discussion in November 2013. NHS England was established on 1 April 2013 so there were no board meetings prior to this date. The following table sets out information about each board meeting:
	
		
			 Date Meeting Item 
			 6 March 2014 Public board meeting Item 3 within CEO report—Tariff for mental health services in 2014-15 
			 14 January 2014 Public board meeting Item 6 Patient safety collaborative proposals services in 2014-15 
			 14 January 2014 Public board meeting Item 11 Urgent and emergency care review 
		
	
	
		
			 17 December 2013 Public board meeting Item 6 Draft planning guidance 
			 7 November 2013 Board development session Item 3—Mental health and parity of esteem 
			 8 November 2013 Public board meeting Mentioned as part of chair's opening 
			 12 September 2013 Board development session Item 2—Equalities and health inequalities 
			 18 July 2013 Public board meeting Item 7 Performance and assurance 
			 3 May 2013 Public board meeting Item 4 Prioritising patients in every decision we make 
			 Source: NHS England—Parliamentary Hub: 14 April 2014. 
		
	
	All minutes from the board meetings of NHS England held in public are published on the NHS England website. Furthermore, all board meetings of NHS England held in public are broadcast live at the time and are uploaded to the NHS England website and YouTube so that they can be viewed by anyone at any time. Details can be located via the following link:
	http://www.england.nhs.uk/category/board-meetings/
	The Government's response to the Francis Inquiry sets out measures which are intended to reform the entire health and care system. The document “Hard Truths: the Journey to Putting Patients First” explicitly makes reference throughout to the numerous measures that apply to social care and mental health services. The Care Quality Commission is currently developing their improved methodology on mental health inspections. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will be developing evidence based guidelines for safe staffing levels including for mental health in-patient and community settings.
	Key actions applicable across mental health as well as physical health include:
	appointments of new chief inspectors for hospitals, primary care and social care, and a deputy chief inspector for mental health;
	a new set of simpler fundamental standards that make explicit the basic standards beneath which care should never fall;
	a failure regime for quality as well as finance;
	improving the quality of training and expected conduct of health care assistants to ensure safer and compassionate care;
	a new statutory duty of candour on organisations and strengthening candour in professionals' codes and guidance;
	new leadership programme for nursing and clinical staff;
	transparent monthly reporting of ward-by-ward staffing levels and other safety measures;
	a new programme to promote patient safety across all health care settings; and
	better support for patients who need to raise a complaint and better trust information about these complaints, including quarterly reporting of complaints data and lessons learned by trusts, and the ombudsman to significantly increase the number of cases she considers.

Mental Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment NHS England has made of the report of the Independent Commission on Mental Health and Policing commissioned by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.

Norman Lamb: NHS England is currently reviewing its actions in response to the “Crisis Care Concordat” and will review the recommendations of the Independent Commission on Mental Health and Policing in light of this.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when NHS England's review of Tier 4 Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services provision will be complete.

Norman Lamb: NHS England advise that its review of Tier 4 Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services provision, which is intended to map current provision and identify areas within specialised commissioning for improvement, will be available in the near future.

Midwives

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women now have access to a named midwife; how many women each named midwife looks after; and what proportion of women get one-to-one midwifery care in labour.

Daniel Poulter: This data is not collected centrally, however, both Health Education England (HEE) and NHS England are mandated to deliver on personalised care for maternity services. HEE is responsible for ensuring the maternity workforce is trained with the right skills and behaviours in order for NHS England to be able to deliver the services.
	HEE is working with NHS England to ensure that sufficient midwives and other maternity staff are trained and available to provide every woman with personalised one-to-one care throughout pregnancy, childbirth and during the post-natal period.

Midwives

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives there were in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The following table shows the number of registered qualified midwives in the national health service in the last five years:
	
		
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 Qualified midwives (full-time equivalent) FTE 19,496 20,126 20,519 20,935 21,284 
			 Source: NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre

NHS England

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which former directors in his Department have been promoted to new roles at NHS England in the last four years.

Daniel Poulter: Miles Ayling, Ben Dyson, Dominic Hardy, John Holden, Richard Murray, Keith Ridge and Giles Wilmore were employed by the Department as directors and secured new roles at NHS England following its establishment in October 2012. These new roles, with a different employer, are not directly comparable to their departmental roles. Richard Murray has subsequently left NHS England.

NHS: Drugs

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking with his EU counterparts to standardise the reimbursement prices given to pharmaceutical companies by national health authorities in different EU member states.

Norman Lamb: The pricing and reimbursement of medicines is a national competence as part of member states' responsibilities to organise and manage health services, and different European countries take different approaches, reflecting the differing needs and characteristics of their patient populations and healthcare systems. In view of this, the Secretary of State for Health has not undertaken any steps aimed at standardising pharmaceutical reimbursement prices in different countries.

NHS: Insolvency

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 48W, on NHS: insolvency, if he will publish the agenda and minutes from the meeting on 2 April 2014.

Jane Ellison: We are in the process of agreeing with the right hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Burstow) the Terms of Reference and other arrangements for the committee he is due to chair. We plan to place a final copy of the minutes of the meeting on 2 April in the Library in due course.

Pancreatic Cancer

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to ensure that recent progress in the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer informs NHS practice.

Jane Ellison: Since 1 April 2013, NHS England has been responsible for delivering improvements in all cancer services.
	NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) regularly review and update their guidance in line with the latest clinical evidence. In addition, clinicians are expected to stay alert to developments.
	Since 2005, the “Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer”, published by NICE has supported general practitioners to identify patients with the symptoms of suspected cancer and urgently refer them as appropriate.
	NICE is in the process of updating this guidance to ensure that it reflects the latest evidence.
	Pancreatic cancer has also been referred to NICE as a topic for development into a Quality Standard. Quality Standards set out the markers of high quality care for a disease area and contain up to 15 quality statements describing what that service should deliver, which informs NHS practice.
	NHS England's pancreatic cancer service specification clearly defines what it expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective pancreatic cancer services.

Postnatal Depression

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his announcement of 16 May 2012, how many and what proportion of health visitors have been given enhanced training to identify the early signs of postnatal depression.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not keep a central record of training undertaken by health visitors, though it is aware that all specialist community public health nurses are given initial training in recognising and responding to a wide range of perinatal mental health issues, including post natal depression.
	It was acknowledged that in addition to the above core training, health visitors would find it helpful to be engaged in additional training, to enhance skills and knowledge in the context of their specific roles. We have therefore commissioned the training of 375 perinatal mental health champions who have now been trained across England. The perinatal champions have responsibility for cascading their training in their local areas-to facilitate the spread of knowledge and practice among colleagues.
	In addition to the training of champions, three perinatal mental health key learning, modules have been developed with open access to participation from all health visitors. These focus on:
	perinatal depression and other maternal mental health disorders;
	recognition of perinatal anxiety and depression; and
	interventions for perinatal anxiety and depression and other related disorders.

Prescription Drugs

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for individual (a) benzodiazepine drugs and (b) antidepressants were dispensed in the community in 2013.

Norman Lamb: The information requested is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of benzodiazepine prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England in the year 2013, as classified as hypnotics and anxiolytics in British National Formulary.(BNF) section 4.1 
			 BNF chemical name Prescription items (thousand) 
			 alprazolam 1— 
			 chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride 151.0 
			 diazepam 5,279.8 
			 loprazolam mesilate 62.9 
			 lorazepam 1,028.1 
			 lormetazepam 38.1 
			 nitrazepam 802.8 
			 oxazepam 139.8 
			 temazepam 2,011.0 
		
	
	
		
			 Total2 9,513.6 
			 1 Less than 50 prescription items dispensed. 2 Total figure may not sum due to rounding. Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system data provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of benzodiazepine prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England in the year 2013, as classified as antiepileptic drugs in British National Formulary section 4.8 
			 BNF chemical name Prescription items (thousand) 
			 clobazam 233.9 
			 clonazepam1 796.5 
			 clonazepam2 1.3 
			 midazolam hydrochloride 31.6 
			 midazolam maleate 29.4 
			 Total3 1,092.7 
			 1 From BNF 4.8.1 Control of the epilepsies. 2 From BNF 4.8.2 Drugs used in status epilepticus. 3 Total figure may not sum due to rounding. Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system data provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Number of benzodiazepine prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England in the year 2013, as classified as anaesthesia drugs in British National Formulary section 15.1.4 
			 BNF chemical name Prescription items (thousand) 
			 midazolam hydrochloride 132.8 
			 Total1 132.8 
			 1 Total figure may not sum due to rounding. Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system data provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 4: Number of antidepressant prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England in the year 2013, as classified as antidepressant drugs in British National Formulary section 4.3 
			 BNF Chemical Name Prescription items (thousand) 
			 agomelatine 24.0 
			 amitriptyline hydrochloride 11,092.8 
			 citalopram hydrobromide 13,702.9 
			 citalopram hydrochloride 75.6 
			 clomipramine hydrochloride 342.2 
			 dosulepin hydrochloride 1,305.8 
			 doxepin 48.7 
			 duloxetine hydrochloride 1,173.0 
			 escitalopram 959.3 
			 fluoxetine hydrochloride 6,016.2 
			 flupentixol hydrochloride 163.1 
			 fluvoxamine maleate 27.4 
			 imipramine hydrochloride 175.8 
			 isocarboxazid 1.9 
			 lofepramine hydrochloride 285.8 
			 maprotiline hydrochloride 1— 
			 mianserin hydrochloride 8.3 
			 moclobemide 19.8 
			 nefazodone hydrochloride 0.2 
			 nortriptyline 498.3 
			 oxitriptan 0.1 
			 paroxetine hydrochloride 1,513.0 
			 phenelzine sulphate 18.8 
			 reboxetine 37.3 
			 sertraline hydrochloride 6,305.1 
			 tranylcypromine sulphate 9.7 
			 trazodone hydrochloride 996.0 
			 trimipramine maleate 87.7 
			 tryptophan 3.2 
			 venlafaxine 3,144.4 
		
	
	
		
			 Total2 53,326.6 
			 1 Less than 50 prescription items dispensed. 2 Total figure may not sum due to rounding. Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system data provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre

Prescription Drugs

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the polypill.

Norman Lamb: We have made no such assessment. There are currently no approved marketing authorisations for a product that meets the description of a 'polypill'. Any application for a marketing authorisation for a medicinal product must be supported by data demonstrating that the quality, safety and efficacy are satisfactory to ensure that the risk to benefit profile is favourable for the proposed treatment before a licence is granted.

Prisoners: Hepatitis

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many prisoners were recorded as having caught hepatitis B while in prison in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013;
	(2)  how many vaccinations for hepatitis B were given in prisons in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013;
	(3)  how many prisoners were recorded as having hepatitis B at the time of their induction into prison in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

Norman Lamb: Surveillance data, referring to the number of people diagnosed with chronic Hepatitis B in prisons in England from Public Health England (PHE) show that in 2010, 22 prisoners were diagnosed with chronic Hepatitis B; in 2011, 45 prisoners were found to be infected; in 2012, 96 cases were detected, and that in 2013, 109 cases were recorded. The increasing number of cases most likely represents improved levels of testing among prisoners and improved reporting to PHE. Testing may occur at various stages of the prisoners' care pathway and not only at induction.
	Surveillance data, referring to the number of people diagnosed with acute Hepatitis B in prisons in England, show that in 2010 there were two cases of acute Hepatitis B; in 2011 there were also two reported cases of acute Hepatitis B, there were no reported cases in 2012, and there were no reported cases in 2013. It is not clear from the surveillance data alone whether the infection was acquired in the prison or due to risk activity prior to incarceration. These data are based on reports from health protection teams who are informed by prisons and diagnosing laboratories.
	Data on uptake of vaccination are reported and recorded per financial year. In 2010-11, 109,827 doses of Hepatitis B vaccine were administered to prisoners in England; in 2011-12, 77,145 doses of vaccine were administered; in 2012-13, 74,785 doses were administered. These figures represent vaccine coverage of the total eligible prison population of 57% in all the years reported.

Quality of Care and Treatment Provided by 14 Hospital Trusts in England Review

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason no formal minutes were taken of the meeting of the national advisory group to the Keogh Mortality Review of 5 July 2013.

Daniel Poulter: The meeting referred to was the final meeting of the National Advisory Group (NAG) to the Keogh Mortality Review. The NAG was established to support Professor Sir Bruce Keogh's review into fourteen trusts with higher than expected mortality rates. The group met on three occasions.
	Formal minutes from the first two meetings of the NAG held on 11 March 2013 and 28 May 2013 are available on the NHS Choices website:
	www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/bruce-keogh-review/Pages/national-advisory-group.aspx
	The final meeting consisted of an informal discussion on the overall findings of the review at which a slide pack on the lessons from the review, videos of some of the risk summits and drafts of some of the individual trust reports were shared. Due to the informal nature of the discussion minutes were not taken.

Radiotherapy

Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that all patients receive innovative radiotherapy treatment where clinically indicated.

Jane Ellison: Since April 2013, NHS England is the commissioner for radiotherapy for all cancer treatments in England meaning cancer patients are considered for the most appropriate radiotherapy treatment regardless of where they live. The “Vision for Radiotherapy” document sets out shared aspirations for the future of the radiotherapy cancer care across England and will be a key document in informing NHS England's five-year strategy for specialised services, including the provision of innovative radiotherapy treatments for patients, where clinically indicated.
	NHS England, with its partners, will define a national strategy for implementation of the vision to support the rapid adoption of affordable new technologies, including treatment devices, imaging techniques and treatment planning software, across the NHS is needed, where evaluation has shown clinical and cost effectiveness.

Radiotherapy

Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made over the last 12 months on delivering the Prime Minister's pledge that cancer patients will have access to innovative radiotherapy techniques from April 2013.

Jane Ellison: The National Radiotherapy Implementation Group (NRIG), established to advise the Department and Ministers on radiotherapy services in England, recommended that 24% of all radical cases should be delivered with inverse planned Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) to minimise the long-term side effects of treatment. The figure of 24% comes from an NRIG calculation of the proportion of patients who would benefit from the treatment.
	NHS England took over responsibility for commissioning radiotherapy services in April 2013 and developed a plan which has seen the national average for IMRT increase from 22% to 32% as of January 2014. All centres have met the 24% target although some variation at centre level is still seen month on month. NHS England continues to keep this under close scrutiny and works with providers at a local level to monitor progress on a monthly basis.

Radiotherapy: South East

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of cancer patients have access to intensity modulated radio therapy at (a) Brighton University Hospitals Trust and (b) Southampton University Hospitals Trust.

Jane Ellison: The following tables show the self-reported performance against the national Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) target over the latest available six-month period for Brighton University Hospitals NHS Trust and Southampton University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
	Radiotherapy is not an appropriate treatment for all patients with cancer, because some cancers respond better to other treatments such as surgery and chemotherapy. Moreover, IMRT is a form of radical radiotherapy, and some patients will require palliative, as opposed to radical, radiotherapy.
	The national target for IMRT is that trusts providing external beam radiotherapy should deliver a minimum of 24% of radical fractions (treatment sessions) as inverse planned IMRT.
	
		
			 Brighton University Hospitals NHS Trust 
			  Percentage 
			 2013  
			 September 18 
			 October 25 
			 November 22 
			 December 28 
			   
			 2014  
			 January 30 
			 February 29 
			 Notes: 1. These self-reported positions are preliminary data, and may differ from the national radiotherapy dataset (RTDS) data against which the target is formally monitored. 2. However, since the RTDS data are released around two months in arrears, the self-reported positions are used as a proxy measure for monitoring performance on a monthly basis. Source: Wessex NHS England Area Team. 
		
	
	
		
			 Southampton University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 
			  Percentage 
			 2013  
			 October 22.5 
			 November 27.9 
			 December 29.9 
			   
			 2014  
			 January 28.2 
			 February 24.4 
		
	
	
		
			 March 28.5 
			 Notes: 1. These self-reported positions are preliminary data, and may differ from the national radiotherapy dataset (RTDS) data against which the target is formally monitored. 2. However, since the RTDS data are released around two months in arrears, the self-reported positions are used as a proxy measure for monitoring performance on a monthly basis. 3. With respect to Southampton University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, there was a slight drop in treatment percentage in October 2013 due to a higher than normal number of radical patient starts. Source: Surrey and Sussex NHS England Area Team.

Sexual Assault Referral Centres

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what sexual assault referral centres are operating in each region.

Jane Ellison: The health aspects of sexual assault referral centre services are devolved. The information for England is listed as follows:
	Area, Centre Name and Address
	Avon and Somerset
	The Bridge
	2nd Floor
	Central Health Clinic
	Tower Hill
	Bristol BS2 03D
	Bedfordshire
	The Emerald Centre SARC
	Bedford Health Village
	The Enhanced Services Centre
	3 Kimbolton Road
	Bedford MK40 2NT
	Cornwall
	The Willow Centre
	Truro Health Park,
	Infirmary Hill,
	Truro TR1 2JA
	Cambridgeshire
	OASIS@ Rivergate
	Viersen Platz
	Peterborough PE11SE
	Derbyshire
	Millfield House
	PO Box 6960
	Ripley
	Derbys DE5 4AF
	Devon and Torbay
	The Oak Centre
	Hawkins House
	Pynes Hill
	Rydon Lane
	Exeter EX2 5SS
	Dorset
	ARC Dorset
	Madeira Road
	Bournemouth
	Dorset BH1 1QQ
	Durham
	The Meadows
	John Street North
	Meadowfield
	Durham DH7 8RS
	Essex
	Oakwood Place
	Brentwood Community Hospital
	Crescent Drive
	Brentwood
	Essex
	Gloucestershire
	Hope House
	Gloucestershire Royal Hospital
	Great Western Road
	Gloucester GL1 3NN
	Hampshire and Isle of Wight
	The Treetops Centre
	Northern Road
	Cosham
	Portsmouth P06 3EP
	Hertfordshire
	Sunflower SARC
	98 Cotterells
	Hemel Hempstead
	Herts HP1 1JQ
	Humberside and North Lincs and NE Lincs
	CASA Suite
	810a Hessle Road
	Hull HU4 6RD
	Kent
	Renton Clinic
	Darent Valley Hospital
	Dartford
	Kent DA2 8DA
	Lancashire, Preston
	The SAFE Centre
	Royal Preston Hospital
	Sharoe Green Lane
	Fulwood
	Preston PR2 8HT
	Leicestershire
	Juniper Lodge
	Lodge One
	Leicestershire General Hospital
	Gwendolen Road
	Leicester LE5 4PW
	Lincolnshire
	Spring Lodge
	12 Dean Road
	Lincoln LN2 4DR
	London, Camberwell
	Haven – Camberwell
	King's College Hospital
	Denmark Hill
	London SE5 9RS
	London, Paddington
	Haven – Paddington
	St. Mary's Hospital
	Praed Street
	London W2 1NY
	London, Whitechapel
	Haven – Whitechapel
	The Royal London Hospital
	9 Brady Street
	London E1 5BD
	Manchester
	St Mary's Centre
	St. Mary's Hospital
	Oxford Road
	Manchester M13 9WL
	Merseyside
	SAFE Place – Merseyside
	6th Floor, Citrus House
	40-46 Dale Street
	Liverpool L2 5SF
	Norfolk
	The Harbour Centre
	267a Reepham Road
	Norwich
	Norfolk NR6 5QH
	Northamptonshire
	SERENITY
	Highfield Clinical Care Centre
	Cliftonville Road
	Northampton NN15DN
	Northumbria, Newcastle-upon- Tyne & Sunderland
	REACH - The Rhona Cross Suite
	New Croft House
	Market Street
	Newcastle upon Tyne
	NE1 6ND
	REACH - Ellis Fraser Centre
	Sunderland Royal Hospital
	Kayll Road
	Sunderland SR4 7TP
	Nottinghamshire
	The Topaz Centre
	PO Box 9262
	Nottingham North
	Nottinghamshire NG5 ODW
	Plymouth
	Twelves Company
	37 The Millfields
	Plymouth PL1 3JB
	Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent
	Cobridge Health Centre
	Church Terrace
	Cobridge
	Stoke-on-Trent
	Staffordshire ST6 2JU
	Suffolk
	The Ferns
	Unit 10 & 10A Delta Terrace
	West Road
	Ransomes Europark
	Ipswich IP3 9FH
	Surrey
	The Solace Centre
	Cobham Community Hospital
	168 Portsmouth Road
	Cobham
	Surrey KT11 1HS
	Sussex
	The Saturn Centre
	Crawley Hospital
	West Green Drive
	Crawley
	West Sussex RH11 7DH
	Thames Valley
	The Solace Centre
	Upton Hospital
	Church Street
	Slough SL1 2BJ
	Solace Centre
	Sherwood Drive
	Bletchley
	Milton Keynes
	Bucks MK3 6TP
	West Mercia
	Covers Worcestershire, Shropshire and Herefordshire
	The Glade
	Bransford
	Worcestershire WR6 5JD
	West Midlands
	The Rowan Centre
	2 Ida Road
	Walsall
	West Midlands WS2 9SR
	Wiltshire
	The New Swindon Sanctuary
	The Gables
	Shrivenham Road
	South Marston
	Swindon SN3 4RB
	Yorkshire, South
	The Isis and the Artemis Sexual Assault Referral Centre
	Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust
	Rotherham General Hospital
	Moorgate Road
	Rotherham S60 2UD
	Yorkshire, North
	SARC-TBA
	48 Bridge Road
	Bishopthorpe
	York YO21 1RR

Speed Limits

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the potential public health benefits of changing the national urban default speed limit to 20 mph and thereby reducing injuries to pedestrians and cyclists; and what information his Department holds on whether comparable assessments have been made in other developed nations.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (PHE) is currently reviewing evidence and trend data to identify further potential areas for local authorities and Government to improve road safety for children and young people. We anticipate publication of this report in May 2014.
	In England, there is evidence that where 20 miles per hour (mph) speed limits have been introduced, these have led to reduced vehicle speeds1. At 20 mph vehicle speeds there are reductions in the numbers of children killed or seriously injured as a result of road traffic collisions2. A growing number of local authorities are introducing 20 mph zones based on the assessment of local risk.
	Comparable assessments have been made by developed nations including the United States where cost benefit analysis, studies of the 'safe routes to schools' and before and after case studies have taken place, providing evidence on 20 mph limits and zones.
	1 Grundy C, Steinbach R, Edwards P, et al. Effect of 20 mph traffic speed zones on road injuries in London, 1986 to 2006: controlled interrupted time series analysis. BMJ. 2009;339:b4469.
	2 Rosen E, Stigson H, Sander U. Literature review of pedestrian fatality risk as a function of car impact speed. Accid Anal Prev. 2011;43:25-33.

Standardised Packaging for Tobacco Independent Review

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide a detailed breakdown of all the costs incurred as part of Sir Cyril Chantler's Independent Review into standardised packaging of tobacco.

Jane Ellison: The cost of undertaking and producing the Chantler report was approximately £125,000. The costs broadly breakdown as follow:
	Staffing, including members of the secretariat: £103,602
	Room for review panel: £9,360
	Printing of report: £3,965
	Other costs including travel and subsistence, catering etc.: £6,988

Throat Cancer

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of oro-pharyngeal cancers treated have been diagnosed as human papillomavirus-related in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Human papillomavirus (HPV) status is not a routinely collected data item in any national cancer data set. Public Health England has advised that it is therefore unable to determine the proportion of oro-pharyngeal cancers that are HPV-related.
	However, studies have highlighted an association between head and neck squamous cell cancers in some specific sites and HPV and there is evidence of larger increases in the number of these cancers over the last two decades than for other sites.

Throat Cancer

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average (a) length is and (b) intensive care, surgical and other costs are of a hospital admission due to a case of oro-pharyngeal cancer.

Jane Ellison: The average intensive care, surgical and other costs of a hospital admission due to a case of oro-pharyngeal cancer is £831. The average length of stay of a hospital admission due to this condition is two days for elective in-patients and five days for non-elective in-patients. However, these data do not take into account complications and co-morbidities associated with the condition which can increase the cost and length of stay.

Tobacco: Packaging

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date he plans to publish draft regulations on the introduction of standardised packaging of tobacco products.

Jane Ellison: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made to the House on 3 April 2014, Official Report, column 1018.
	No further decisions have been made on the date for the publication of the consultation.

Tobacco: Retail Trade

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) correspondence and (b) representations from lawyers representing tobacco companies (i) Ministers and (ii) civil servants of his Department have received since the announcement of the Chantler review on 28 November 2013; and from which law firms and tobacco companies in each such case.

Jane Ellison: The Department received five letters from the law firm Herbert Smith Freehills representing British American Tobacco, dated 20 December 2013, 9 January 2014, 7 February 2014 and with two letters on 4 April 2014. No other representations have been received within this period.

Tobacco: Young People

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the role that small shops and independent retailers play in preventing underage sales of tobacco.

Jane Ellison: The Government acknowledges the key role that responsible retailers play in ensuring tobacco products are not sold to customers under the legal age of sale of 18 years. This was recognised in recent debates during the passage of the Children and Families Act during which provision was made to support retailers by introducing a new offence which makes it illegal for adults to buy tobacco on behalf of children and young people.
	Data on the sources of tobacco for children and young people aged 11-15 years is collected through the Health and Social Care Information Centre's survey “Smoking Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England 2012”. The survey has been placed in the Library.

Warfarin

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many warfarin patients attending anti-coagulant clinics had to wait for a prescriber to administer vitamin K in the most recent year for which information is available; what the average waiting times for those patients was; and how many of those patients had to go to accident and emergency because a prescriber was not available.

Jane Ellison: This information is not collected centrally.

PRIME MINISTER

India

John Spellar: To ask the Prime Minister what meetings he plans to have with representatives of the Sikh community on events surrounding the storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984 and subsequent massacres.

David Cameron: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Leeds North East (Fabian Hamilton) on 5 February 2014, Official Report, column 240W.

Ministers: Accountability

Jim Dowd: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the fiduciary duties applying to Ministers.

David Cameron: The Ministerial Code sets out the duties and responsibilities of Ministers.

National Security Council

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Prime Minister what assessment 
	(1)  he has made of the ability of the National Security Council to foster collective decision-making across Government;
	(2)  what role the National Security Council plays in the long-term strategic planning and development of security policy.

David Cameron: The National Security Council is a Sub-Committee of the full Cabinet. It addresses all elements of national security strategy. It seeks to understand the context, risks and opportunities facing the country; debates policy options; decides courses of action; and monitors and evaluates their implementation. It brings together Ministers and experts on a weekly basis, fostering genuine discussion and collective decision-making on both strategic and operational issues. Regularity of meetings enables Ministers to build up knowledge of particularly complex matters over time and to take well-informed decisions. Specialised sub-committees ensure that appropriate attention is paid to the most complex and technical issues.

Pakistan

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister what matters in respect of (a) Pakistan's possession of nuclear weapons and (b) the prospects of Pakistan joining the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty he discussed at his April 2014 meeting with his Pakistani counterpart.

David Cameron: I have not met my Pakistani counterpart this month.
	At our meeting on 30 April I will discuss a range of foreign policy issues with Prime Minister Sharif.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Standards Select Committee

David Winnick: To ask the Leader of the House if he will introduce and consult upon proposals for the Standards Committee to be replaced by a body consisting of a majority of lay members with representation of more than three hon. Members without voting rights.

Andrew Lansley: The House strengthened its own procedures in January 2013 by reconstituting the Committee on Standards to include lay member representation, with a specific right to submit an opinion on any report of that Committee and to have it published.
	I have had recent discussions with the Chair of the Committee on Standards, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and other interested parties on ensuring that the standards regime for Members is as robust as it can be.
	I expect the Committee on Standards to announce shortly terms of reference for an inquiry examining the current system, which draws on the recent report by the lay members of that Committee. I expect to follow up my discussions with the Committee on Standards in order further to strengthen lay members’ scrutiny of standards matters. If any Member wishes to bring forward specific proposals for improvements to the system, this is of course something that both the Committee and the House will wish to consider.

Stationery

John Redwood: To ask the Leader of the House what levels of stock his Office holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

Andrew Lansley: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. The information requested is not held centrally.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Air Pollution

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department intends to create a strategy to mitigate the effect of air pollution on public health.

Dan Rogerson: The Government recognizes the impact poor air quality can have on human health and the environment and has put in place a framework for delivering improvements via the Air Quality Strategy and Local Air Quality Management. The European Commission also has requirements for member states to meet legally binding limits for key pollutants to protect public health and ecosystems.
	The Government is committed to ongoing work to reduce this impact and has invested many billions of pounds in measures that will help to reduce air pollution from transport, energy and industrial sources, including over £1 billion in ultra-low emission vehicles and sustainable transport measures, incentives and infrastructure projects for electric and hybrid vehicles, a Local Sustainable Transport Fund of £490 million, a fund of around £100 million for less polluting bus services and investment in measures to promote cycling and walking. All these measures are helping to reduce transport emissions, which are the main contributor to air pollution in towns and cities.
	In addition to these national measures, local authorities have a responsibility to manage local air quality and to put in place plans to improve air quality where national objectives are not met. Local action is also supported by the Government’s air quality grant programme, which has provided over £50 million since 1997 for innovative projects.
	DEFRA works with Public Health England, the Department of Health and other Government Departments to maintain and develop methodologies for assessing air quality impacts on health and the environment, and to develop evidence-based measures to ensure air quality is appropriately prioritised and integrated into local strategies. For instance the Government has established an Air Quality Indicator as part of the new Public Health Outcomes Framework. Local authorities will be expected to deliver against 68 measurable outcomes (indicators) for health, including for air quality.

Air Pollution

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many monitoring stations were in place and returning air quality data for NO2, PM2.5 and PM10 in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014.

Dan Rogerson: DEFRA operates an extensive monitoring network in order to assess air quality in the UK. The number of sites may vary year to year as sites are upgraded or replaced. A summary of the number of monitoring stations for each pollutant by year is provided as follows.
	
		
			  NO2 PM2.5 PM10 
			 2010 117 78 68 
			 2011 118 78 68 
			 2012 121 80 69 
			 2013 118 83 72 
			 2014 115 80 70

Air Pollution

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which air quality monitoring stations went off-line in each year since 2010-11; and on what dates they were off-line.

Dan Rogerson: DEFRA operates an extensive monitoring network of nearly 300 sites in order to assess air quality in the UK and report to the EU for compliance. Many of these sites have multiple instruments measuring different pollutants.
	The Automatic and Urban Network has 130 sites that provide information on five key pollutants on an hourly basis. Information from this network is updated hourly on the UK Air website to provide the most recent data to the public.
	An extensive programme of maintenance, auditing and site inspections is required to maintain the networks operation. EU directives state that instruments must be operational for a minimum period of time for data to be reported and these requirements are met in our annual compliance reporting.
	It is therefore not possible to provide information on the specific times when instruments were not operational during the last four years, but I refer the hon. Member to the UK's annual compliance report for statistics regarding data capture at each site, at:
	http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/annualreport/index

Air Pollution

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by what date each of the 40 air quality zones with exceedances of nitrogen dioxide limit values in 2010 will achieve compliance with 2010 nitrogen dioxide limit values.

Dan Rogerson: Meeting EU standards for nitrogen dioxide remains a challenge for many large urban areas in the UK and across Europe. In 2011 DEFRA submitted estimates of the year each part of the UK would meet these standards to the European Commission. The assumptions behind our projections are regularly reviewed to reflect new understanding and we expect to have new projections available later this year.

Air Pollution

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date the Government plans to send and publish its reply to the European Commission letter of formal notice of persistent air pollution problems sent on 20 February 2014.

Dan Rogerson: The deadline for a response to the European Commission is 21 April 2014. Correspondence between the Commission and member states in infringement proceedings is confidential. We do not, therefore, intend to publish the UK’s response.

Air Pollution

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government will publish a second consultation on local air quality management.

Dan Rogerson: We expect to publish a second consultation on regulatory and guidance changes to the Local Air Quality Management system (in England) towards the end of this year. As stated in our Summary of Responses published last December, we intend to explore all alternatives put forward by respondents, drawing on core conclusions from the review and working in partnership with key stakeholders. This will ensure that a robust and sustainable package is put forward as part of the next consultation.

Bees

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps the Government has taken to protect the UK's honeybee population.

Dan Rogerson: Recent steps taken by DEFRA to protect the UK’s honeybee population include the launch of the National Pollinator Strategy and conducting a 12 month policy review, in collaboration with stakeholders, on the pests and diseases affecting honeybees. Longer term initiatives include the Healthy Bees Plan and continued funding of the National Bee Unit.

Bees

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he has taken to protect each of the 26 species of bee that are under threat in the UK.

Dan Rogerson: Conservation of biodiversity is a devolved matter. Action in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved administrations.
	England’s biodiversity strategy, Biodiversity 2020, takes an integrated, large-scale approach to biodiversity conservation, exemplified by our Nature Improvement Areas initiative. This approach is designed to meet the habitat needs of many species, including threatened species of bee.
	The strategy recognises that there will also be a need to take targeted action for the recovery of certain priority species, including certain bee species, whose conservation is not delivered through wider, habitat-based measures. These species are catered for through Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme. The recent reintroduction of the short-haired bumblebee in the south east of England is one such example.
	Incentives for farmers and other land managers to conserve and enhance important wildlife habitats, including those for bees, are provided under Environmental Stewardship schemes. Following a review, new payments were introduced from 1 January 2013 to improve habitats and food for pollinators, including bees. These payments provide for the addition of wildflowers to buffer strips and field corners, and the provision of legume-rich and herb-rich swards.
	For the future, we are currently considering the scope for further enhancements for bees and other pollinators as part of wider environmental delivery through the reformed Common Agricultural Policy. Over £3.1 billion will be available up to 2020 to protect and enhance biodiversity under the New Environmental Land Management Scheme.
	DEFRA is also developing the National Pollinator Strategy for England to reflect the importance of bees and other insect pollinators to agriculture and biodiversity and in recognition that they face many pressures. A public consultation was launched in March 2014 and the final Strategy will be finalised in summer 2014.

Bees

Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the geographical spread in the UK of the bacterium melissococcus plutonius.

Dan Rogerson: The bacterium is widespread across England and Wales. A recently completed two-year random survey of 4,600 apiaries estimated Melissococcus plutonius as being present in 1.6% in year 1 (2009-10) and 1.3% in year 2 (2010-11).

Birds

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions Ministers in his Department have had with their counterparts in (a) Malta, (b) Cyprus and (c) Greece about measures to reduce the killing of songbirds.

George Eustice: No discussions have taken place with counterparts in Malta, Cyprus or Greece about measures to reduce the killing of songbirds.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to ask the Independent Expert Panel which recently reported on the first year of the pilot badger culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire to report on the second year of such culls.

George Eustice: I have no plans to ask the Independent Expert Panel to report on the second year of the pilot badger culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  for what reasons cage trapping and shooting of badgers was implemented during the pilot badger culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire in 2013 when the culls were testing for effectiveness, humaneness and safety of free shooting;
	(2)  when he was informed that cage trapping and shooting of badgers had been implemented alongside the free shooting of badgers within three days of the beginning of the pilot badger cull in Gloucestershire in 2013;
	(3)  when he was informed that cage trapping and shooting of badgers had been implemented alongside the free shooting of badgers within two days of the beginning of the pilot badger cull in Somerset in 2013.

George Eustice: Both controlled shooting and cage trapping and shooting methods were always available to the cull companies. There was no compulsion on the contractors to use a defined proportion of cage trapping and controlled shooting. How they used these two methods was a decision for them to make. As the pilot culls progressed, cull companies decided to use more cage trapping, as this technique was found to work well under certain circumstances. Ministers were kept informed of progress during the pilot culls from an early stage.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how soon the cage trapping and shooting of badgers was implemented alongside the freeshooting of badgers after the commencement of the pilot badger cull in Gloucestershire in 2013; and what authorisation from the Department was required;
	(2)  on what date cage trapping and shooting of badgers was implemented alongside the free-shooting of badgers in the pilot badger cull in Somerset in 2013; and on what date free shooting had started in that cull.

George Eustice: Cage trapping was used from the outset in each of the pilot areas. Under the licence issued to each area, cage trapping and shooting and controlled shooting are both permitted control methods. No further authorisation from the Department was required.
	The Guidance issued to Natural England on issuing licenses to kill or take badgers for the purpose of preventing the spread of bovine TB under section 10(2)(a) of the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, and the Government’s policy document on Bovine TB and badger control in England, both state
	“in order to ensure humaneness, only two culling methods will be permitted (which can be used in combination, or as single control methods): i. cage-trapping followed by shooting; and ii. controlled shooting.”
	Both of these documents were published on 14 December 2011.

Consultants

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which 10 consultancy firms were paid the most by his Department in the last financial year; and how much each of those firms was paid.

Dan Rogerson: This table sets out the information requested in respect of 2012-13, the last financial year for which audited information is available. Information relating to 2013-14 will be available in July 2014, once the Department’s accounts for the year have been audited and published. The figures relate to the core Department.
	
		
			 Consultancy firm Amount paid in 2012-13 (£) 
			 Ernst and Young 1,012,378 
			 Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer 587,922 
			 Local Partnerships 152,226 
			 KPMG 118,351 
			 Bureau Veritas UK Ltd 105,185 
			 Baker Tilly 101,925 
			 ADAS UK Ltd 99,138 
			 GHK Consulting Ltd 71,424 
			 Resource Decisions Ltd 64,800 
			 Temple Group Ltd 44,380

Dogs

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the number of dogs owned by people who have previously been banned from owning dogs.

George Eustice: No estimate has been made of the number of people owning dogs who have previously been banned. However, the table shows the number of people convicted of breaching disqualification orders, in respect of keeping any animal, made under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
	
		
			  2010 2011 2012 
			 Convictions 43 59 73 
			 Source: Data provided by the Home Office on 9 April 2014.

Dogs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of prong collars on the welfare of dogs.

George Eustice: The Government has made no specific assessment on the use of prong collars on dogs. However, it would be an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause any unnecessary suffering to a dog by using a prong collar. Such an offence would be punishable by a fine of up to £20,000 and/or six months’ imprisonment.

Employment Agencies

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which five companies were used most often to provide temporary workers for his Department in the last financial year; and how much in agency fees was paid to each of them.

Dan Rogerson: The following table sets out the information requested for core DEFRA in respect of 2012-13, the last financial year for which audited information is available. Audited information for 2013-14 will be available in July 2014.
	
		
			   Average Agency Fees paid 
			 Companies Spending 2012-13 (£) £ Percentage 
			 Pertemps Recruitment Partnership Ltd 856,348 62,257 7.2 
			 Reed Specialist Recruitment Ltd 628,832 113,189 18 
			 Acadent Ltd 454,521 n/a n/a 
			 Michael Page International 202,948 23,521 11.59 
			 Hays Specialist Recruitment Ltd 182,634 21,167 11.59 
			 n/a = Not available.

Food: Standards

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of consumer confidence in the authenticity of British food.

George Eustice: DEFRA has not recently carried out its own assessment of consumer confidence in the authenticity of British food. However in 2013 consumer research carried out by both IGD and Mintel showed an increase in consumer trust in British food.
	The IGD ShopperVista survey carried out in March 2013 found that shoppers are now nearly one and a half times more likely to buy British food than they were six years ago, with younger shoppers and families driving this growth. The Mintel report on Consumer Trust in Food, published in June 2013, found that the factor most encouraging consumer trust in food was the use of British ingredients (48%), with product origin on packaging also seen as a key factor (43%).
	The Government is committed to clear and consistent labelling to help consumers make informed decisions about the food that they buy. On 13 December 2013, the European Commission adopted an Implementing Regulation setting out the detailed rules for mandatory country of origin labelling for fresh and frozen, unprocessed, pre-packed pork, poultry, sheep and goat meat. The rules come into force on 1 April 2015. DEFRA is reviewing with the UK food industry the current industry principles for meat labelled as ‘British’, with a view to re-launching and reinforcing them alongside the new European mandatory labelling requirement.

Food: Standards

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will assess the desirability of separating responsibility for food safety policy and responsibility for food standards policy in England between the Food Standards Agency and his Department.

George Eustice: The Food Standards Authority is responsible for food safety and food hygiene across the UK, and for food law enforcement. Their strategic objective is safer food for the nation in order to protect the consumer.
	DEFRA is responsible for non-safety related food compositional standards and labelling policy in England. Most of these standards are set under EU legislation considered by EU Agriculture Council and there are synergies with the equivalent standards set through the Common Agricultural Policy. The underlying reason for regulating in these areas is to set internationally recognised standards to facilitate trade and ensure a level playing field for food businesses, while protecting consumers against product misdescription. Food composition and standards policy is not generally related to food safety.

Food: Standards

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the food industry about its compliance with food-related legislation.

George Eustice: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), and I meet regularly with food industry trade associations and with individual food businesses to discuss a wide range of current policy issues. This often includes proposals for changes in food-related legislation and food industry practices, to ensure legislation is fit-for-purpose and regulation is risk-based. Compliance with existing food-related legislation is something the Government expects from all food businesses. Primary responsibility for enforcing compliance with food-related legislation rests with local authority environmental health and trading standards departments, overseen by the Food Standards Agency.

Fracking

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff at the Environment Agency are working on the regulation of fracking in England and Wales; and what reductions in the budget of the Environment Agency have affected people working on that regulation.

Dan Rogerson: The Environment Agency has set up a team of 10 national officers working full time to develop the regulatory regime for oil and gas activities. This work covers conventional and unconventional oil and gas activities.
	This team is supported by additional technical resource from elsewhere in the organisation. The workload fluctuates and these specialists are not solely dedicated to regulating and permitting unconventional activities. It is therefore not possible to give an exact answer, but the agency estimates that approximately 40 further members of staff are currently involved in this work across England.
	UK Government policy is to ensure the shale industry is able to develop in a safe, sustainable and environmentally responsible way within a well-regulated environment. Regulating the industry will remain a priority for the Environment Agency. Funding for setting up the regulatory regime comes from DEFRA grant in aid. Work to regulate individual sites is financed through the charges the Environment Agency raises for environmental permits and licences, supported where necessary by the grant in aid.

Horn of Africa

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made on implementing a regional wildlife enforcement strategy in the Horn of Africa and addressing the illegal trade in shark fins.

George Eustice: Countries and stakeholders in the Horn of Africa held a wildlife trafficking workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 3 to 4 October 2012 to discuss the formation of a regional enforcement network to address the illegal wildlife trade. Participants concluded that a Horn of Africa Wildlife Enforcement Network (HAWEN) should be set up. Ethiopia, on behalf of Horn of Africa countries that attended the workshop, submitted a progress report to the Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of Parties (CoP16) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which took place in Bangkok from 3 to 14 March 2013.
	The work of Wildlife Enforcement Networks was welcomed at the recent London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade, chaired by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague). Action XVI in the Declaration adopted at the Conference commits participating Governments to strengthening crossborder and regional cooperation, through better coordination and full support for regional wildlife law enforcement networks. Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, all of which are members of HAWEN, attended the London Conference.
	The UK Government is wholly opposed to the wasteful and unsustainable practice of shark finning, and the illegal trade in fins. We continue to lead the way in pressing for the adoption of appropriate fisheries and trade controls within bodies such as the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) and CITES, in order to ensure any trade in shark products is rooted in sustainable fishing practices. At CoP16 the UK played a critical role in securing increased protection under CITES for five shark species, all of which form an important component of the shark fin trade. This now means that these species will be protected from unmanaged and unsustainable trade in their fins. UK officials continue to work closely with other likeminded countries and non-governmental organisations to help build capacity and ensure that the CITES rules are fully implemented.

Hunting

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer 194164, how many civil servants in his Department of what grade spent some or all of their time working on the Hunting Act 2004 or matters relating to it in each year since 2010.

George Eustice: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 61W.

Livestock: Transport

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that veterinarians are present at all live animal exports from the UK to provide an export certificate and ensure relevant standards of animal care are being adhered to.

George Eustice: The Government has no plans to propose changes to the legislative basis for pre-export inspections beyond those measures which are currently in place. These measures were reviewed and, where necessary, modified in 2012. Details of these operational changes were set out in the written ministerial statement made by the then Minister of State for DEFRA, the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr Heath), on 4 March 2013, Official Report, column 53WS.

National Parks

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to deter inappropriate development in National Parks in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: Policy on national parks and planning are devolved matters. For Wales, they are a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government. National parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty are given the strongest protection from damaging development through the National Planning Policy Framework.
	DEFRA works closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government to ensure planning policies take account of the special character of England’s protected landscapes. For example, as made clear on 6 March 2014, Official Report, column 50WS, by the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Grantham and Stamford (Nick Boles), the extended permitted development rights for conversion of agricultural buildings to a dwelling house will not apply in national parks or areas of outstanding natural beauty.

Plastic Bags

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government response to the Environmental Audit Committee's Eleventh Report, on Plastic Bags, HC 861 will be completed and sent to the Committee.

Dan Rogerson: The Government is considering the Committee’s recommendations and will respond as soon as details have been finalised.

Poultry

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of beak trimming of laying hens; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: We are funding research to assess the effectiveness of management strategies in reducing injurious pecking in 20 commercial flocks of non beak trimmed laying hens. We will review all the available evidence, including that provided by interested parties and the outcome of our on-going research, in 2015.

Rabbits

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to promote the health of (a) domestic and (b) wild rabbits; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: No specific initiatives are currently under way to promote the health of domestic or wild rabbits.

Stationery

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what levels of stock his Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

Dan Rogerson: Core DEFRA does not hold this information because some stocks are held locally and some are ordered centrally.

Venison

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the value to the economy of venison production and sales in each of the last three years; and what steps he is taking to increase production and sale of venison.

George Eustice: The available data on the UK deer farming industry in each of the last three years is shown in the table below:
	
		
			 UK farmed deer industry 
			  2011 2012 2013 
			 Value of output of deer (£ million) 3.5 3.5 3.6 
			 Volume of venison produced (Tonnes) 2,400 2,400 2,500 
			 Farmed deer populations (Thousand head) 33 31 32 
		
	
	DEFRA co-funded a research project in partnership with industry to determine the effects of packaging and slaughter conditions on venison meat quality, and gain an improved understanding of consumer perceptions of venison to help focus future venison marketing campaigns. More information can be found at:
	http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu& Module=More&Location=None&Completed=0&ProjectID=13973

Waste Disposal: Crime

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the additional £5 million for tackling waste crime announced in the budget statement will reduce in the planned workforce and associated workload in the enforcement and legal department of the Environment Agency.

Dan Rogerson: DEFRA and the Environment Agency have been working together to ensure that the additional funding is targeted effectively to tackle waste crime. A decision on how the additional £5 million will be spent is subject to DEFRA ministerial approval.
	Depending on how the £5 million is to be spent, the Environment Agency will review its planning assumptions to determine the impact on its workforce and associated workload.

Wildlife: Africa

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of which countries in Africa (a) have the highest incidence of illegal killing of wildlife and (b) have the largest illegal trade in wildlife with China.

George Eustice: As a Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the UK supports work to monitor the illegal killing of wildlife. My Department has provided £270,000 since 2009 to support the CITES Secretariat to undertake such work, including the MIKE (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) project and ETIS (Elephant Trade Information System).
	In response to assessments made of illegal killing, the CITES Secretariat has identified the following African counties as primary source countries for ivory: Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda, the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Republic of Tanzania. Assessments have also shown that illegal killing poses a significant threat to rhinoceros populations, particularly in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
	These countries are taking action under CITES, such as producing National Ivory Action Plans, but many are going beyond this. For example, Botswana, Chad, Ethiopia, Gabon and Tanzania announced the Elephant Protection Initiative at the London Conference in February. This initiative aims to secure new funding from private and public sources for the implementation of the African Elephant Action Plan. Other recent developments include Gabon announcing plans to impose new penalties for poachers and traffickers, and Ethiopia committing to destroying its ivory stockpiles.
	Further knowledge is needed about the trafficking of the products of poaching of wildlife from source countries to consumer countries, particularly in Asia. The Declaration adopted at the recent London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade took an important step forward in relation to this, with over 40 countries agreeing to undertake further assessment, initially over the next 12 months, of the markets and dynamics of the illegal wildlife trade, and the progress made in combating it.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Consultants

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities which 10 consultancy firms were paid the most by the Government Equalities Office in the last financial year; and how much each of those firms was paid.

Helen Grant: The Government Equalities Office did not use the services of any consultancy firms in 2013-14.

Consultants

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities which 10 consultancy firms were paid the most by her Department in the last financial year; and how much each of those firms was paid.

Helen Grant: The Government Equalities Office did not use the services of any consultancy firms in 2013-14.

Employment Agencies

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities which five companies were used most often to provide temporary workers for the Government Equalities Office in the last financial year; and how much in agency fees was paid to each of them.

Helen Grant: In 2013-14 the Government Equalities Office used Brook Street Ltd for the provision of temporary workers. We do not hold the details of specific agency fees paid as this information is not separated out from the total charges that we pay to the agency for an individual.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing: Morecambe

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what support his Department has provided to Lancaster City Council to ensure affordable homes are built in rural areas in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency.

Kris Hopkins: There will be 228 affordable homes delivered in Lancaster area as a result of £6.9 million of Government funding through the 2011 to 2015 Affordable Homes Programme of which 27 homes are in rural areas (defined as settlements with populations of less than 3,000 people).
	In 2011-12, half of the affordable homes built outside London were in rural local authorities and we have delivered over 5,000 affordable homes in the smallest rural communities (under 3,000 people) in the first two years of the current programme.
	The Homes and Communities Agency’s funding prospectus for the 2015-18 Affordable Homes Programme sets out how the Agency will continue to pay particular attention to the importance of delivery in rural areas in providing funding. The work of the Agency is also supported by a network of rural champions. The National Planning Policy Framework and Rural Exception Sites also help to address the housing needs of rural communities.

Betting Shops

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning applications made by betting shops have been rejected by local authorities and subsequently overturned by the Planning Inspectorate in (a) Newham and (b) the UK in each year since 2008.

Nicholas Boles: We hold information for England; information for other parts of the UK is a matter for the devolved Administrations.
	The following table sets out the number of planning appeals on betting shops decided by the Planning Inspectorate in England in each year since 2008.
	
		
			 Decision year Allowed Dismissed Total 
			 2008 13 9 22 
			 2009 9 11 20 
			 2010 10 7 17 
			 2011 18 9 27 
			 2012 4 10 14 
			 2013 8 10 18 
		
	
	There is no clear trend, other than fewer appeals being allowed in the last two years, and I would note that the numbers involved are small. Any planning application or appeal needs to be considered on its individual merits in light of the prevailing local circumstances and planning policies.
	During this period, three appeals relating to the London borough of Newham in 2011 were allowed involving changes to A2 use.
	The detailed reasoning for the approvals were outlined in the three decision letters, but it may assist the hon. Member to note that (a) one case involved an application which had been rejected on grounds it was a move to a non-retail use, yet the inspector noted that the premises had been operating as a non-retail use for over 40 years, (b) another had been rejected on similar grounds, yet there was already an extant planning permission for the premises to change to a non-retail use, and (c) the other was since the premises was changing from an amusement arcade and was already in use for a form of gambling.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is undertaking a broader review of gambling policy.
	This Government is taking action to support healthy and vibrant local high streets. This is part of a wider set of measures designed to get empty and redundant buildings back into productive use and make it easier for valued town centre businesses like shops, banks and cafés to open new premises, while giving councils greater powers to tackle the harm to local amenity caused by a concentration of particular uses.

Business Improvement Districts: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 13 February 2014, Official Report, column 800W, on Business Improvement Districts: Birmingham, when he expects to publish the report on the Business Improvement District for Sparkbrook and Springfield, or to reach a decision on that matter.

Brandon Lewis: A decision will be taken on the appeal against the establishment of the Sparkbrook and Springfield Business Improvement District in due course and all interested parties will be informed.

Community Relations

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2014, Official Report, column 694W, on polling stations, what assessment he has made of the effect of foreign language translation by local authorities on integration of non-English speakers into their communities.

Brandon Lewis: In March 2013, my Department published new guidance for local authorities outlining how councils should stop translating into foreign languages. As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 12 March 2013, Official Report, column 5WS, such translation weakens integration; discourages communities from learning English; undermines rather than strengthens equality goals; harms community relations; and is an expensive waste of taxpayers’ money at a time when councils need to be making sensible savings. It is disappointing that councils like Tower Hamlets have disregarded that guidance, and reflects broader issues with the dysfunctional governance and divisive practices of the council.
	I would add that in light of previous instances of electoral fraud, including impersonation in polling stations, postal voting irregularities and allegations of improper influence, Ministers in this Department have concerns about the practice of allowing foreign language translators/interpreters inside polling stations. The privacy of the ballot must be protected and voters inside a polling station should not be subject to any pressure or influence to vote in a particular way. In that context, the integrity of the ballot box and of the local democratic process requires independent and transparent scrutiny in polling stations by polling agents, council staff, the police and, indeed, passing members of the public who are also voting. This is undermined by polling room administration being conducted in foreign languages.

Consultants

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which 10 consultancy firms were paid the most by his Department in the last financial year; and how much each of those firms was paid.

Brandon Lewis: The table sets out the 10 consultancy firms that were paid the most by my Department in the last financial year.
	The data complies with definitions on consultancy laid down by the Cabinet Office which excludes agency staff and interim (contingent) labour.
	
		
			 Financial year 2013-14 
			 Organisation Total expenditure (excluding VAT) (£) 
			 Local Partnership LLP1 150,918 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 108,516 
			 Ove Arup and Partners 66,790 
			 Amec Environment and Infrastructure 62,509 
			 Ernest and Young LLP 20,000 
			 Capgemini UK Plc 17,000 
			 Grant Thornton UK LLP 8,815 
			 Giant Professional Limited 6,400 
			 Oakleigh Consulting Ltd 4,950 
			 Land Use Consultants 1,345 
			 1 Local Partnerships is a company that is jointly owned by HM Treasury and the Local Government Association; it provides commercial expertise on matters of infrastructure, legal and contractual complexity and acts for the benefit of the public sector. 
		
	
	My Department has cut spending on consultancy from £36.6 million in 2009-10 to £0.5 million in 2013-14. This represents a saving of £36.1 million a year (2013-14 compared to 2009-10) and has been achieved through contract renegotiations, terminations and adherence to Cabinet Office controls on consultancy spending.
	To put this in context, based on current estimates (which reflect accounting consequences from machinery of government changes) the DCLG Group is reducing its annual running costs by around 40% in real terms between 2010-11 and 2014-15. This equates to net savings of at least £532 million over this spending review period and includes savings of around £420 million from the closure of the Government offices for the regions.

Employment Agencies

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which five companies were used most often to provide temporary workers for his Department in the last financial year; and how much in agency fees was paid to each of them.

Brandon Lewis: In answering this question, we have used the Cabinet Office definition for contingent labour (temporary staff) which includes admin and clerical agency staff, interim managers and specialist contractors: use of such staff for short-term or specialist work can be better value for money than hiring staff on permanent contracts.
	Details of the five companies that my Department has used most often in the last financial year for the provision of contingent labour are set out as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year 2013-14 
			 Organisation Total Expenditure (excluding VAT) (£) 
			 Capita Resourcing Ltd 1,736,580 
			 Reed Employment Services 172,702 
			 Reed Specialist Recruitment Ltd 136,335 
			 Manpower UK Ltd 40,423 
			 Premier Employment Group Ltd 22,677 
		
	
	To put this in context, my Department has cut spending on contingent labour from £14.4 million in 2009-10 to £3.3 million in 2013-14 as a result of the tightening of its internal management controls, institutionalising these in its systems and adhering to Treasury and Cabinet Office spending rules. This represents a saving of £11.1 million a year (2013-14 compared to 2009-10).
	In addition to the savings on temporary workers, our departmental audited annual accounts for the core Department show that staff costs fell from £216 million in 2009-10 to £99 million in 2012-13, a reduction of 54% in cash terms, or a further saving of £117 million a year.
	These savings also reflect the coalition Government's agenda of decentralisation, ending the micromanagement of local government, the abolition of regional government, and the broader need to tackle the deficit left by the last Administration.

Empty Property: Lancashire

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty homes there are in (a) Rossendale and (b) Darwen.

Stephen Williams: Data on vacant dwellings by tenure and district, including Rossendale and Blackburn with Darwen, can be found in live table 615 which is available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants
	This table brings together figures on vacant dwellings in England drawn from several separately published sources.

Families: Disadvantaged

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funds his Department has allocated (a) for identifying troubled families and (b) in performance payments for turning those families around to each local authority participating in the Troubled Families Programme to date.

Kris Hopkins: The funding for the troubled families programme does not operate on an “allocation” basis; the programme operates as set out in the financial framework:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/11469/2117840.pdf
	Up to £448 million has been allocated in total as a budget for this programme with up to £4,000 available for each family turned around. The latest performance information broken down by local authority area can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/troubled-families-programme-progress-by-31-december-2013
	and more recent information covering the period up until February 2014 is due to be published shortly.

Fire Services

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many UK firefighters left the service in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The following figures refer to England only, any further figures would be a matter for the relevant devolved Administration.
	The total numbers of firefighters leaving fire and rescue authorities in England over the last five years are shown in the table.
	
		
			 All firefighter leavers from fire and rescue authorities, England 
			  Whole-time firefighters Retained duty system Total 
			 2008-09 1,980 1,069 3,049 
			 2009-10 1,622 1,174 2,796 
			 2010-11 1,338 1,345 2,683 
			 2011-12 1,320 1,461 2,781 
			 2012-13 1,190 1,500 2,690 
			 Source: Annual returns for fire and rescue authorities in England

Fire Services

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many UK firefighters (a) died on duty and (b) sustained accidents leading to medical retirement in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The following figures refer to England only, any further figures would be a matter for the relevant devolved Administration.
	The number of firefighter deaths on duty are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Firefighter deaths while on duty, England 
			 2008-09 1 
			 2009-10 2 
			 2010-11 2 
			 2011-12 0 
			 2012-13 1 
			 Source: Annual returns for fire and rescue authorities in England 
		
	
	The Department does not collect data on specific accidents leading to medical retirement. It does collect the number of medical discharges each year. To assist the hon. Member these have been provided in the table.
	
		
			 Leavers on medical discharge from fire and rescue authorities, England 
			  Whole-time firefighters Retained duty system Total 
			 2008-09 27 11 38 
			 2009-10 35 12 47 
			 2010-11 32 33 65 
			 2011-12 51 25 76 
			 2012-13 55 40 95 
			 Source: Annual returns for fire and rescue authorities in England

Housing: Construction

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the amount of housing proposed on what had been designated green belt land in 2010 in adopted and emerging Local Plans.

Nicholas Boles: It is for local authorities in conjunction with their communities to assess development needs and plan to meet them in a way which is consistent with national policy. Our planning reforms have strengthened the role of local plans and abolished the previous administration’s undemocratic regional strategies which imposed housing targets and green belt reviews. This returns power to local authorities and communities to determine whether it is appropriate to develop on green belt land, taking into account the strong protections in the National Planning Policy Framework.
	This Government attaches great importance to green belt as a way to prevent sprawl and encroachment on open countryside, and as a vital 'green lung' for many communities. The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that openness and permanence are essential characteristics of green belt. And that green belt boundaries can only be revised in exceptional circumstances through the local plan process. Planning guidance published on 6 March re-affirmed green belt protection.

Housing: Construction

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been self-built in each of the last eight years.

Kris Hopkins: The Department does not hold official statistics.
	To assist the preparation and implementation of policy to support self-builders, the Department is examining how best the take-up of self-build can be quantified.

Housing: Harrow

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding was allocated from Homes and Community Agency to (a) develop new affordable housing and (b) bring empty homes back into use in Harrow in each of the last five years.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 7 November 2013
	The figures for affordable housing are as follows for the London borough of Harrow area:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2008-09 22 
			 2009-10 45 
			 2010-11 26 
			 2011-12 15 
			 2012-13 13 
		
	
	Since April 2012, allocations from the Affordable Housing Programme have been overseen by the Greater London Authority rather than the Homes and Communities Agency. There have been no specific allocations on empty homes over this period.
	As outlined to the hon. Member in the answer of 7 January 2013, Official Report, column 121W, I would note that the new Affordable Rent model now allows for more affordable housing to be delivered with lower levels of taxpayer capital subsidy and lever in more private investment.
	As the National Audit Office has observed:
	“The Department selected the best delivery model open to it for the funds it had available”
	and
	“The Department has so far achieved its policy objective to maximise the number of homes delivered within the available grant funding”
	(National Audit Office, “Financial viability of the social housing sector; introducing the Affordable Homes Programme”, 4 July 2012, HC465, pp.6-7).
	I also note that the Mayor's proposed Housing Strategy states:
	“£1.8 billion of public funding has been secured by the Mayor which will unlock an estimated additional £3.7 billion of other investment for London to enable 55,000 affordable homes to be delivered between 2011-15”
	(Mayor of London, “The Revised London Housing Strategy”, December 2011, p.35).
	Across England, 170,000 affordable homes have been delivered so far since April 2010, and a total of £19.5 billion of public and private investment is being spent on affordable housing over the current spending review period.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funds have been allocated to each local enterprise partnership area from (a) the Growing Places fund and (b) other central Government funding since March 2012.

Kris Hopkins: Central Government funding allocated to local enterprise partnership programmes since March 2012 is set out in a table which has been deposited in the Library. This includes capacity funding for each local enterprise partnership, regional growth fund for programmes sponsored by local enterprise partnerships and funding for enterprise zones which are sponsored by local enterprise partnerships. No further Growing Places fund has been allocated since March 2012.
	All funding to local enterprise partnerships goes through their accountable body (a nominated local authority) and so no funds are paid directly to local enterprise partnerships.
	I would observe that the north of England has received proportionately the most funding (per capita), followed by the midlands, and then the south of England, reflecting the fact that we are supporting economic growth in all parts of the country, north and south, rural and urban, shire and city, but particularly those which were left behind under the last Administration.
	
		
			  Total government funding (£ million) Population (Number) 
			 North of England 157.8 16,463,900 
			 Midlands 90.5 12,903,800 
			 South of England 106.9 28,966,600

Mobile Phones: Rural Areas

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to improve mobile signal coverage in rural areas by permitting use of their land for mobile network base stations.

Nicholas Boles: Local authorities have an active role to play in mobile network deployment by assisting operators to find suitable land and structures. This is set out in the “Code of Best Practice on Mobile Network Development in England”, facilitated by Government, signed by operators, local authorities and other interested parties which was issued in July 2013. It is available at:
	http://www.mobilemastinfo.com/images/stories/2013_Code_of_best_practice/Code_of_Best_Practice_ on_Mobile_Network_Development_-_Published_24-07-2013.pdf

New Towns: Ebbsfleet

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to establish garden city principles in Ebbsfleet.

Nicholas Boles: holding answer 31 March 2014
	: We expect the new Ebbsfleet Urban Development Corporation, once established, to develop the vision for Ebbsfleet Garden City in co-operation with local partners.
	We would expect the corporation, working with local partners and other experts, to consider how accepted garden cities principles, such as high quality, imaginative design, the provision of generous green space, mixed tenure homes and a strong local jobs offer, could be delivered in a way appropriate to local needs and circumstances.
	The Government wants Ebbsfleet to set high standards in terms of design quality. The Built for Life principles are industry developed standards for good design. We would look to those coming forward with development proposals at Ebbsfleet to adopt them, and encourage them to be ambitious by aiming for a “green” rating.

Planning

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to paragraph 025 of the section entitled Viability in his Department's online National Planning Policy Guidance, what the different funding mechanisms available are.

Nicholas Boles: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 3 April 2014, Official Report, columns 780-82W.

Private Rented Housing: Evictions

Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent research his Department has undertaken on retaliatory evictions in the private rented sector.

Kris Hopkins: There is no hard evidence that retaliatory eviction is a widespread problem in the private rented sector and the English Housing Survey shows that only 9% of tenancies are ended by the landlord. However, we are aware that this is an issue for some people. We recently published a discussion document on property conditions which invited views on whether restrictions should be placed on issue of possession notices where a tenant has requested a repair. The closing date for replies was 28 March and we are now considering the responses.

Private Rented Housing: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will include Peterborough in the areas involved in his Department's proposals for dealing with rogue private rented sector landlords; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins: The overwhelming majority of private sector landlords are reputable and provide decent well maintained homes. This is demonstrated by high levels of satisfaction with over 83% of tenants happy with their accommodation. However, a small proportion of landlords neglect their properties and exploit their tenants forcing them to live in unsafe and overcrowded accommodation. We are cracking down on these rogue landlords and have provided £6.7 million to support local authorities with acute and complex problems, of which Peterborough received £70,000 to help them tackle problems associated with sheds and outhouses being used illegally as accommodation. The work on driving rogue landlords out of the sector is ongoing and will be supported, by the publication of updated guidance on the prosecution of rogue landlords later this year.

Schools: Planning Permission

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the planning system gives priority to creating additional school places.

Nicholas Boles: The Government recognises the importance of building new schools. The National Planning Policy Framework therefore makes clear the importance of planning for new school development in order to ensure that a sufficient choice of school places is available. The Government has also introduced additional permitted development rights to allow the change of use from some existing buildings to a state funded school.

Sustainable Communities Act 2007

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many proposals have been made by local authorities under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 in each year since that Act has been in force; and how many such proposals his Department has adopted.

Stephen Williams: holding answer 27 March 2014
	In July 2009, 100 local authorities submitted proposals to the Selector, the Local Government Association. In December 2009, the Selector presented a short-list of 199 proposals, containing over 300 separate requests to the Government. Details of these proposals, the 39 actions this Government said it would take in response and an update on these actions that was published in July last year can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustainable-communities-act-2007-decisions-on-local-councils-proposals-to-improve-local-areas
	Five local authorities submitted proposals in 2011. We carefully considered all the proposals and took forward two firm proposals. One local authority has submitted a proposal this year. It is under consideration.
	The Government extended the power to submit proposals under the Act to town and parish councils in October last year. Since then five town and parish councils have submitted proposals, which are under consideration.

UK Coal

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will impose a moratorium on processing all planning applications submitted by UK Coal Production Ltd until that body has demonstrated it can meet its obligations on restoration and section 106 contributions.

Nicholas Boles: Coal extraction is handled through a locally-led planning process and decisions on planning applications are for the relevant mineral planning authority.
	Schedule 5 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 gives mineral planning authorities the power to impose planning conditions on mineral operators to provide for site restoration and aftercare with their application for minerals extraction. In addition the National Planning Policy Framework and planning guidance allows mineral planning authorities to request financial guarantees from applicants to underpin the conditions covering the restoration and aftercare of a site in exceptional circumstances.
	New Section 106 agreements are negotiated between the developer and the applicant. Existing legislation allows those entering into the planning obligation to specify the date or dates when any required sum is to be paid to the planning authority. Section 106 planning obligation agreements are legally binding, and the mineral planning authority can enforce any breach of an agreement.

CABINET OFFICE

Children: Greater London

Harriet Harman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many children were aged under five in (a) London and (b) each London borough in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Caron Walker, dated April 2014
	In the absence of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many children were aged under five in (a) London and (b) each London borough in each of the last five years (195793).
	Table 1 shows the published estimates of usually resident population aged 0 to 4 in (a) London and (b) each London borough from mid-2008 to mid-2012. Mid-2012 is the latest year for which population estimates are available.
	The UK population estimates for the period mid-2008 to mid-2012, from which the figures in Table 1 are taken, are available on the ONS website at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pop-estimate/population-estimates-for-uk--england-and-wales--scotland-and-northern-ireland/index.html
	
		
			 Table 1: Population aged 0-4: London and London Boroughs, mid-2008 to mid-2012 
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 London 554,189 571,994 586,328 594,079 611,834 
			       
			 City of London 218 210 227 233 297 
			 Barking and Dagenham 16,083 17,409 18,265 18,697 19,177 
			 Barnet 23,890 24,749 25,669 26,264 27,264 
			 Bexley 14,342 14,630 15,051 15,277 15,666 
			 Brent 21,060 21,766 22,230 22,569 23,212 
			 Bromley 19,089 19,512 20,026 20,189 20,787 
			 Camden 12,953 12,901 13,020 13,161 13,824 
			 Croydon 24,872 25,603 26,716 28,066 28,635 
			 Ealing 23,553 24,562 25,154 25,544 26,161 
			 Enfield 22,600 23,440 24,204 24,664 25,008 
			 Greenwich 19,145 20,185 20,795 21,095 21,522 
			 Hackney 18,917 19,112 19,339 19,055 19,616 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 11,109 11,504 11,721 11,853 11,854 
			 Haringey 18,528 18,599 18,513 18,019 18,337 
			 Harrow 15,053 15,459 15,865 15,993 16,594 
			 Havering 13,059 13,476 13,689 13,810 14,323 
			 Hillingdon 18,265 19,130 19,615 19,969 21,022 
			 Hounslow 17,956 18,678 19,308 19,842 20,825 
			 Islington 11,704 11,997 12,312 12,298 12,694 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 9,246 9,417 9,486 9,138 9,093 
			 Kingston upon Thames 10,113 10,447 10,687 11,094 11,500 
			 Lambeth 20,165 20,386 20,796 20,666 21,074 
			 Lewisham 20,394 21,281 21,862 22,062 22,492 
			 Merton 13,906 14,409 14,801 15,004 15,527 
			 Newham 25,205 25,689 25,737 25,559 26,714 
			 Redbridge 19,597 20,256 21,097 21,829 22,248 
			 Richmond upon Thames 12,682 13,122 13,680 14,083 14,483 
			 Southwark 20,116 20,586 20,496 20,913 21,464 
			 Sutton 11,850 12,425 12,691 12,870 13,430 
			 Tower Hamlets 17,744 18,304 18,952 18,826 19,881 
			 Waltham Forest 19,453 20,155 20,617 20,944 21,521 
			 Wandsworth 19,651 20,598 21,284 21,761 22,162 
			 Westminster 11,671 11,997 12,423 12,732 13,427

Economic Growth: EU Countries

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions the Office for National Statistics has had with EU counterparts about differences in the way projected growth is estimated.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated April 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions the Office for National Statistics has had with EU counterparts about differences in the way projected growth is estimated. (196291)
	The Office for National Statistics publishes the Preliminary Estimate of UK GDP approximately 25 days after the end of the quarter. The estimate is based purely on the output approach to measuring GDP and is one of the fastest in the world.
	The majority of EU countries do not produce a comparable Preliminary Estimate of GDP with data usually only available for most countries 45 days after the end of the quarter. There is currently a European working group set up looking at how all EU countries could develop methods to produce an estimate 30 days after the end of the quarter. The UK is playing an active role in this working group offering our experiences of producing early estimates and advising on suitable methodology.
	The Office for National Statistics does not produce any projections for GDP growth and focuses solely on estimating growth for periods that are in the past.

Pensioners: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people of pensionable age in Brighton, Kemptown constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated April 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people of pensionable age there are in Brighton, Kemptown constituency (196005).
	ONS publishes annual estimates of the resident population of the UK, by age, as at 30 June each year. The latest available estimates show that there were an estimated 17,656 people of pensionable age in Brighton, Kemptown parliamentary constituency at mid-2012.
	The estimate of pensionable age gives the number of women aged 61 and over, and men aged 65 and over, which is the closest available approximation to state pension age at mid-2012 that can be obtained for population estimates by parliamentary constituency.
	The latest population estimates for parliamentary constituencies in England and Wales were published on 26 November 2013 and are available on the ONS website at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/sape/parliament-constituency-pop-est/mid-2012/index.html

Throat Cancer

Paul Beresford: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many confirmed cases of oro-pharyngeal cancer there were in the last five years for which figures are available; and how many of those cases resulted in death.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated April 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Secretary of State for Health how many confirmed cases of oropharyngeal cancer there were in the last five years for which figures are available; and how many of these cases resulted in death.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2011. The latest available figures for deaths registrations are for the year 2012. Table 1 provides the number of (a) newly diagnosed cases of oropharyngeal cancer, for the years 2007 to 2011, and (b) deaths with an underlying cause of oropharyngeal cancer, for the years 2007 to 2012, for England. Six years of mortality data have been provided to present the most recent year available with the figures for the five years of incidence data available.
	Information on the number of diagnosed cases that resulted in death is not available, as cause of death is not recorded within the ONS cancer incidence registration dataset.
	The latest published figures on cancer incidence for England are available on the ONS website:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/cancer-statistics-registrations--england--series-mb1-/index.html
	
		
			 Table 1. Number of newly diagnosed cases of oropharyngeal cancer1, 2 and number of registered deaths3 where the underlying cause was oropharyngeal cancer, England4, 2007 to 20125 
			  2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Total 
			 Number of newly diagnosed cases 935 986 1077 1230 1190 - 5418 
			 Number of registered deaths 332 305 370 355 391 402 2155 
			 1 Cancer of the oropharyngeal area is coded as C09 (Malignant neoplasm of tonsil) and C10 (Malignant neoplasm of oropharynx) according to the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10). 2 Cancer incidence figures are based on newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year. 3 Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. More information on the impact of delayed registrations is available on the ONS website: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/impact-of-registration-delays-on-mortality-statistics/index.html 4 Figures are based on boundaries as of February 2014 and exclude non-residents. 5 The symbol: denotes not available. The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2011 Source: Office for National Statistics

Tobacco: Packaging

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps have been taken to monitor and regulate contacts between Mr Lynton Crosby and representatives of the tobacco industry, in particular in relation to consultations on the introduction of standard packaging.

Francis Maude: Mr Lynton Crosby is not employed by the Government.

Unemployment: East Sussex

Simon Kirby: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of young people in (a) Brighton, Kemptown constituency and (b) East Sussex who have been unemployed for longer than 12 months in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated April 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office for the number of young people in (a) Brighton, Kemptown constituency and (b) East Sussex who have been unemployed for longer than 12 months in each of the last five years for which figures are available. (196004)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of unemployment for the requested age band, duration and geographies are not available due to small sample sizes.
	As an alternative in table 1 we have provided the number of people aged 18 to 24 who had been claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for more than 12 months in February of each year from 2010 to 2014. The counts of people claiming JSA are those who are claiming benefits for unemployment related purposes. At a UK level the total number of JSA claimants is around half of the total unemployment level.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Number1, 2 of people aged 18 to 24 claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for more than 12 months 
			  Brighton, Kemptown East Sussex 
			 February 2010 85 235 
		
	
	
		
			 February 2011 25 175 
			 February 2012 40 305 
			 February 2013 100 455 
			 February 2014 60 305 
			 1 Data rounded to nearest 5. 2 Computerised claims only. Information on age of claimant is only available for computerised claims which currently make up 99.8% of all claims. Source: JobcentrePlus Administrative System

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Biofuels

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to his answer of 14 January 2013, Official Report, column 481W, on biofuels, is biomass feedstock origin recorded in the renewable energy planning database; and what his policy is on the use of biomass feedstock sourced from outside the UK.

Michael Fallon: Biomass feedstock origin is not recorded in the renewable energy planning database but this information is required to be submitted as part of the reporting requirements for biomass and bioliquids under the Renewables Obligation and is published annually by Ofgem.
	With regards to bioliquids, the Renewable Energy Directive sets out the sustainability requirements which must be complied with in order to receive financial support. The key considerations of land use criteria and greenhouse gas balance are required to be met by both domestic and imported feedstock.
	In the case of solid and gaseous biomass, the UK has established its own criteria which include a minimum of 60% greenhouse gas (GHG) lifecycle saving against the average EU fossil electricity grid intensity. Transport related carbon emissions as well as any direct land use change, whether in the UK or elsewhere, are considered as part of the GHG lifecycle assessment for biomass electricity.

Biofuels

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to his answer of 16 January 2014, Official Report, columns 994-5, whether his Department is seeking to promote first or second generation biomass and biofuels; and whether his Department has made a sustainability assessment of both forms.

Michael Fallon: First and second generation biofuels are the responsibility of the Department of Transport.
	Biomass, when sourced sustainably, can provide a cost-effective, low carbon and controllable source of renewable energy.
	The sustainability standards referred to by the Secretary of State's answer of 16 January 2014, Official Report, columns 994-95, refer to the use of solid and gaseous biomass for the purposes of renewable electricity generation under the renewables obligation (RO). To ensure that Government only supports sustainably produced biomass, it recently introduced requirements as part of the renewables obligation. Similar measures will be introduced under the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHl) this autumn, and we intend to mirror the RO requirements within the Contracts for Difference.

Dounreay

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the estimated value of the contract of Dounreay Site Restoration was at the time of the award in April 2012; what the estimated savings to the public purse were; what the estimated value of the contract is to date; and what the estimated savings to the public purse are to date.

Michael Fallon: The estimated Target Cost at the time of contract award in 2012 was approximately £1.5 billion in 2012-13 money values. It covered all of the scope in the Dounreay Lifetime Plan to bring the site to its Interim End State which was capable of definition at the time of tender; it excluded scope that was not capable of definition at the bid stage. The contract contained provisions for change control for new scope and also for indexation for inflation. The Target Cost at 31 March 2014 is £1.7 billion. The estimated saving to the public purse arising from the Preferred Bidder's target costs compared to the extant Lifetime Plan was, and remains, well in excess of £1 billion.

Energy: Meters

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to encourage the use of smart meters; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Government's vision is for every home and smaller businesses in Great Britain to have smart electricity and gas meters by the end of 2020. In December 2012, the Department published the smart meter Consumer Engagement Strategy which sets out the approach to how domestic and non-domestic consumers will be encouraged to use smart meters to take control of their energy—helping them to save energy and money.
	Energy suppliers will have the primary consumer engagement role as they are the main interface with consumers before, during and after installation. Supplier engagement will be supported by a programme of centralised engagement undertaken by a Central Delivery Body (CDB), which the larger energy suppliers were required to set up in June 2013.
	The Department also has a continuing role in consumer engagement. For example, we are working with stakeholders, such as third-sector organisations, in engaging consumers, and ensuring that accurate information on smart meters is available online.

Energy: Prices

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on how many occasions and on what dates he has met National Grid to discuss the Supplemental Balancing Reserve in each month since January 2013.

Michael Fallon: Details of meetings between the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), and external organisations are published quarterly on the departmental website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-meeting-with-external-organisations
	I met National Grid on Wednesday 9 April 2014 and Ministers do so regularly.

Fracking

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the US Department of Energy on licensing and regulatory regimes in relation to fracking in (a) Lancashire and (b) the UK.

Michael Fallon: Ministers in the Department have met their ministerial counterparts from the Department of Energy in the United States of America on a number of occasions and have had wide-ranging discussions.
	All meetings between external organisations and Ministers in the Department of Energy and Climate Change are published on a quarterly basis on the Department's website and are available for download at this link:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoinform/registers/registers.aspx
	As has been the case with successive Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the commercial and procurement capability of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority; and what steps have been taken to assist the authority in the development of its capability in this area of operations;
	(2)  what support his Department has given to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority for its commercial and procurement capability; and what assessment he has made of that capability.

Michael Fallon: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is responsible for running competitions to manage its sites, and for managing the contracts with those sites; maintaining the capability to do so effectively is also the responsibility of the NDA. The Secretary of State appoints the Chairman and other non-executive members of the NDA Board and we have ensured that it has strong commercial skills to support the Executive. With regard to the NDA’s Parent Body Organisation competitions, the process is subject to governance by the NDA’s Competition Programme Board (CPB), on which the Shareholder Executive (on behalf of DECC), HM Treasury and Infrastructure UK sit. A key role of the CPB is to provide assurance that the NDA has the right commercial and procurement capability. We also monitor continuously the NDA’s performance, capability and overall effectiveness.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the (a) highest bonus, (b) number of bonuses and (c) average bonus is that the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority plans to pay to employees in 2014.

Michael Fallon: No decisions have been taken yet on bonus payments for 2014. Bonus payments will be based on a review by the NDA's Remuneration Committee of performance against targets across the year, with input from internal and external auditors, and from the chief executive. This process will not conclude until June The outcome will be reported in the NDA's annual report and accounts.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the (a) highest bonus, (b) number of bonuses and (c) average bonus payments was that the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority paid to employees in 2013.

Michael Fallon: As set out in the NDA's annual report and accounts for 2013:
	The highest bonus paid to an employee was £83,003;
	The number of bonus payments made was 295;
	The average bonus payment was £10,160.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has paid in severance payments and associated pension contributions to employees since May 2010; how many such severance payments there have been; and what the average length of service in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority was of those receiving payments.

Michael Fallon: Between May 2010 and 31 March 2014 the NDA paid a total of £5.058 million in severance payments to 76 members of staff in line with the Civil Service Compensation Scheme rules. The average length of service was 4 years 7 months. The NDA has made no associated pension contributions.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority made of the performance on previous and existing Nuclear Decommissioning Authority programmes when awarding ownership of shares in Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Ltd on 31 March 2014.

Michael Fallon: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is responsible for running the competition for a new parent body for Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Ltd using the Competitive Dialogue procedure, under which the evaluation must identify the Most Economically Advantageous Tender measured against agreed evaluation criteria. Each consortium's capability and expertise was assessed during the pre-qualification process; this included but was not limited to experience on NDA programmes. It would have been contrary to UK and EU procurement regulations to have made experience on NDA programmes an evaluation criterion in the bidding process.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the underlying calculations were for the statement by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority that £1 billion would be saved from awarding ownership of shares in Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Ltd on 31 March 2014.

Michael Fallon: Bidders were required to submit target cost proposals for delivery of the first seven years of scope within the contract. All four bids received showed savings compared to the extant programme in excess of £1 billion.

Nuclear Installations

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what oversight mechanisms his Department had in place of bid evaluations of the contract to award ownership of shares in Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Ltd on 31 March 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is responsible for running the competition to secure a new Parent Body Organisation for Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Ltd. Bid evaluations were made by the NDA's competition team in strict accordance with UK and EU procurement regulations. DECC was not involved in the bid evaluations. Oversight and governance of the wider competition process is provided by the NDA's Competition Programme Board (CPB), on which DECC is represented by the Shareholder Executive. Formal Government approval will be required before the contract can be awarded in September.

Gas Storage Facility: Lancashire

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Administration Court decision in the case CO/6036/2013, Halite Energy Group Limited v The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

Michael Fallon: Following the decision of the High Court, Halite Energy Group Ltd v. The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the Secretary of State will now re-determine the application by Halite Energy Group Ltd for development consent for the proposed underground gas storage facility including associated development in Preesall, Lancashire. He is currently seeking further information in writing from interested parties in accordance with the Infrastructure Planning (Examination Procedure) Rules 2010 to enable him to do that.
	The Secretary of State is considering any potential wider implications of the decision, in consultation with the Planning Inspectorate.

Nuclear Power Stations

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the costs associated with supporting new nuclear power stations in England and Wales will be levied on energy consumers in Northern Ireland.

Michael Fallon: The supplier obligation will raise funds to cover all liabilities under all Contracts for Difference (CfDs), including nuclear ones. All licensed suppliers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland will be obliged to pay the supplier obligation in due course.

Policy

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change in what circumstances he uses a calculation of the (a) value of preventing a fatality, (b) willingness to pay and (c) cost-per-quality adjusted life year approach to quantify the value of a policy intervention; what other tools he uses to quantify the benefit of a policy intervention; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: All new policies, programmes and projects in the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) are subject to comprehensive but proportionate assessment of costs and benefits following Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) Green Book guidance. The guidance provides advice on valuing costs and benefits including where there is no market value:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/220541/green_book_complete.pdf
	In cases where non-market costs or benefits have a significant impact on the outcome, DECC adopt different valuation techniques to elicit values as far as possible. For example, willingness to pay and willingness to accept techniques have been used to elicit the value that users attribute to security of electricity supply (value of lost load):
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/224028/value_lost_load_electricty_gb.pdf
	Quality-adjusted life year (QALY)-based methods have also been used by the Department to illustrate the potential health impacts of improving the energy efficiency of fuel poor homes in the ‘Fuel Poverty—a framework for future action’. Work is planned to understand how estimates of QALYs may be incorporated into cost-benefit analysis in the future:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fuel-poverty-a-framework-for-future-action
	On other tools to quantify non-market costs and benefits, DECC has produced supplementary guidance to the Green Book which applies the Green Book techniques and principles in the specific context of valuing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/254083/2013_main_appraisal_guidance.pdf

Power Failures

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the incidence of power cuts by (a) county and (b) parliamentary constituency.

Michael Fallon: Statistics on the number of power cuts are held by Ofgem. Ofgem measure the number and duration of power cuts based on the number of customer interruptions (interruptions per 100 connected customers) and customer minutes lost (minutes of supply lost per connected customer). The statistics, broken down by Distribution Network Operator, can be found in tables A10.1 and A10.2 of Ofgem's Assessment of the RIIO-ED1 business plans document, pages 86 and 88:
	https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/84945/assessmentoftheriio-ed1businessplans.pdf
	Ofgem do not collect a more detailed regional breakdown than what is presented in both of these tables.

Solar Power

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 81W, on solar power, whether he plans to make changes to the 250-5MW FiT band for the purpose of encouraging greater deployment of mid-size rooftop solar PV.

Gregory Barker: We are working to clear the way for the widespread use of mid-scale solar on top of factories, supermarkets, warehouses, car parks and other commercial and industrial buildings. We are currently considering a range of options to achieve this as set out in the solar strategy.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/302049/uk_solar_pv_strategy_part_2.pdf

Stationery

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what levels of stock his Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not keep a central record of stock levels for stationery, treasury tags or any other office consumables. This is because individual teams within the Department are responsible for their own particular needs (with weekly deliveries when required), negating the need for an overall 'Departmental' store.
	However, printer cartridges are procured and stored by the departmental IT team. The stock is regularly checked with an aim to ensure there are always approximately 80 cartridges on site (of varying types and colours) to cover four central London buildings/offices.

Wind Power

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many tonnes of carbon dioxide were displaced by onshore wind electricity generation in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales in the latest year for which figures are available.

Michael Fallon: Provisional 2013 data show that 11.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide were displaced by onshore wind electricity generation in the UK. DECC does not publish a breakdown of electricity generated by onshore wind for each constituent country so carbon dioxide savings are only available for the UK as a whole.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answers of 19 December 2013, Official Report, column 745W and 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 342W, on wind power: planning permission, what recent assessment he has made of whether the average time taken from submission of a planning application to full generation for offshore wind is reasonable; and whether he has recently discussed this matter with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Michael Fallon: Since the introduction of the new Planning Act 2008 regime in March 2010 in England and Wales (planning is devolved in Scotland), there is now a statutory maximum time scale of 12 months for the examination, report writing and decision making phases of applications for the development consent of nationally significant infrastructure projects (including offshore wind farms over 100MW). The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), has made decisions on three offshore wind farms under that regime, all within the statutory deadlines.
	The time taken to construct the offshore wind farm following consent is a matter for the developer.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Equal Opportunities

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of her progress in discharging her responsibilities under section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 in respect of (a) HM Revenue and Customs, (b) the Driver and Vehicle Agency and (c) the UK Border Agency.

Theresa Villiers: Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 imposes a statutory duty on public authorities (as defined therein) with regard to the carrying out of their functions relating to Northern Ireland.
	The bodies concerned are not within my responsibility, but that of Treasury Ministers, the Northern Ireland Executive Minister of the Environment and the Secretary of State for the Home Department, respectively.

Terrorism

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  who took the decision not to announce the use of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy in respect of members of the IRA in the London Gazette or the Belfast Gazette;
	(2)  for what reasons the use of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy granted in respect of members of the IRA was not announced in the London Gazette or the Belfast Gazette.

Theresa Villiers: There have been no instances in which the Royal Prerogative of Mercy (RPM) has been issued in respect of paramilitaries in Northern Ireland since the current Government came to power in May 2010.
	I am not aware of any legal requirement to publish in the media information relating to the use of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy (RPM). In England and Wales, RPMs signed by HM the Queen, on the advice of the Secretary of State, are then passed to the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery for sealing, who by convention subsequently places the notice in the London Gazette. By convention in Northern Ireland, RPMs signed by HM the Queen are not subsequently placed in the
	Belfast Gazette
	.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Noise

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will establish an Aircraft Noise Ombudsman; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Goodwill: The Government is currently considering the recommendations made by the Airports Commission, including the recommendation to create an independent noise authority. The Government will respond to the Interim Report as soon as possible.

Bus Services: Concessions

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received from organisations representing pensioners on the start and end times of the National Concessionary Bus Travel Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: During the past 12 months we have received no representations on this subject from organisations representing pensioners.
	The Chancellor has committed to maintaining the statutory concession until the end of this Parliament, and we have no plans to amend its hours of validity.
	Travel Concession Authorities have powers to implement discretionary enhancements to the statutory concession, including extending the hours of validity. The Department’s annual concessionary travel survey monitors the availability of such discretionary concessions, and the most recent dataset can be found at:
	http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/bus08-concessionary-travel/

Bus Services: Tickets

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to encourage the interoperability of smart tickets on local bus services outside London where more than one bus company runs the service; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The Government’s ambitions for smart and integrated ticketing on England’s buses are set out in chapter 4 of the Door to Door Strategy. Local authorities already have the powers to introduce multi-operator ticketing schemes. In March 2013, the Department published guidance to help and encourage authorities to establish schemes in their areas.
	A significant number of smart ticketing schemes already operate across the UK and the Department has held a series of conversations with the Brighton and Hove transport authority and operators to see how their offer can be accelerated. All of the major urban areas, and a number of counties, have smart ticketing schemes, and all buses in London and over three quarters of buses elsewhere in England are smart-equipped.
	In addition we have set up the Smart Cities Partnership, through which we will work with the nine largest cities in England (excluding London) and operators to support them in delivering and enhancing smart, integrated ticketing schemes.
	The outcome of this partnership approach will be greater co-ordination of efforts, concentration on resolving long-standing problems, a framework for other transport authorities to adopt and an acceleration of delivery of smart ticketing products for passengers. I ensure accountability of the Partnership through its governance arrangements.

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency are responsible for (a) driver and (b) operator compliance in the bus industry.

Stephen Hammond: It is not possible to determine the number of roles within the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) that are responsible for (a) driver and (b) operator compliance in the bus industry, as it forms only a part of a number of roles within the Agency. However, for the financial year of 2014-15, DVSA is budgeted to provide over 38 man-years of resource on the enforcement of the bus industry, for deployment of tasks such as roadworthiness checks, visits to licensed operators and bus operator account management.

Driving: Eyesight

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect changes to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency vision testing contract will have on independent optical practices.

Stephen Hammond: As part of the procurement process, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency identified that 2,009 optical practices carried out vision testing services. The new contract means that independent practices are no longer required to carry out on average 20 assessments per year. This equates to around 10 hours of work.

Driving: Licensing

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether there are plans for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to accept Army Personnel Centre records of driver qualifications as proof of army personnel having passed driving tests.

Stephen Hammond: Legislation provides, under delegated authority, for military personnel to carry out driving tests. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) following a notification from the Military of Defence records the test pass and applies the new entitlement to the driving record. Letters from the Army Personnel Centre are also accepted, provided it confirms that the driver has passed an appropriate driving test that allows them to drive on public roads.

Employment Agencies

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which five companies were used most often to provide temporary workers for his Department in the last financial year; and how much in agency fees was paid to each of them.

Stephen Hammond: The five companies used most often to provide temporary workers to Department for Transport were:
	Badenoch and Clark
	Capita
	Networkers
	Spring Technology
	Michael Page
	We are unable to provide the amount in fees paid to each supplier as this information is not recorded. The cost of a temporary worker is provided as a total daily rate which is inclusive of supplier fees.

Euston Station

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the capacity utilisation on trains out of Euston between 6.30am and 9.00am on a weekday morning was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Stephen Hammond: Published information relating to rail demand is available via this link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/rai02-capacity-and-overcrowding
	Table RA10203 shows the following pattern of demand for trains departing Euston on a typical autumn weekday in 2012.
	
		
			   Start of service to 06:59 07:00-07:59 08:00-08:59 
			 Euston departures Passengers 1,046 2,290 3,378 
			  Total seats 5,826 6,117 7,471

Ferries: France

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will open discussions with his French counterpart to ensure crews on ferries operating between the UK and France are paid under British or French minimum wage regulations.

Stephen Hammond: The issue was discussed at length at the recent maritime roundtable, at which industry including the maritime unions were present. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, working with this Department and HMRC, will review the application, guidance and enforcement of the national minimum wage towards seafarers, to ensure that employers are aware of their responsibilities and employees are aware of their rights. As part of this, we will consider a targeted enforcement programme for this sector.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a list of responses to the Environmental Statement in Advance of Second Reading of the High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Bill.

Robert Goodwill: The responses to the Environmental Statement have been published and can be found at:
	https://hs2phaseonebilles.dialoguebydesign.net/
	This includes responses from both individuals and organisations, unless they had requested that their response was not made public.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that the compensation consultation and trial scheme in relation to High Speed 2 should be published by the end of 2014.

Robert Goodwill: Following the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), announcement on 9 April 2014 of decisions regarding HS2 London to West Midlands property compensation, it is our intention to consult on additional cash payment mechanisms over summer 2014 and to announce the way forward by the end of 2014.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish details of who considered the proposals for a property bond in relation to High Speed 2; and what the reasons were for rejecting that proposal.

Robert Goodwill: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), considered the option of a property bond for Phase One of HS2 and has ruled out this option for the reasons set out in ‘Property Compensation Consultation 2013 for the London-West Midlands HS2 route: Decision Document’, published on 9 April 2014.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the safeguarding directions in relation to High Speed 2 were last updated; and if he will publish the maps relating to that update.

Robert Goodwill: The safeguarding directions in relation to High Speed 2 were last updated on 24 October 2013. The updated maps are published on the High Speed 2 Ltd website at the following link:
	http://www.hs2.org.uk/safeguarding?sg_link=576

London Midland

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to improve the performance of London Midland commuter trains.

Stephen Hammond: We do not monitor train operator performances by service type (i.e. commuter trains only) under the Franchise Agreement; we monitor each operator’s performance across their whole network against benchmarks under the Franchise Agreement.
	The Department monitors each train operator’s overall performance against these benchmarks and there are clear actions set out in the Franchise Agreement should performance drop below what is expected. This regular monitoring includes monthly meetings with their senior management where performance figures are scrutinised and challenged.
	At present London Midland are assessed as being within their contracted performance benchmarks as set out in the Franchise Agreement.
	In 2002 when Network Rail took control of Britain's Rail infrastructure, train performance was languishing at record low levels (78.6% of trains arriving on time nationally). Since then, it has risen to averaging around 90%. Network Rail has been tasked with ensuring that 92.5% of trains arrive on time nationally by 2019.
	We are determined that improvements in infrastructure across the network, as evidenced by the £38 billion investment agreed with Network Rail for the next five years, will further improve the performance of all train operators.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the Competition Commission's inquiry into the car insurance industry to report.

Robert Goodwill: The Competition Commission is required to publish its final report by 27 September 2014.

Motor Vehicles: Secured Loans

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the prevalence of the practice of logbook lending.

Stephen Hammond: No assessment has been made by the Department for Transport. The regulation of consumer credit, including the practice of logbook loans, is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority.

National Air Traffic Services

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to meet the costs of the National Air Traffic Service's employee share scheme if the Civil Aviation Authority decides that these costs will no longer be allowed for in the next regulatory settlement.

Robert Goodwill: The regulatory settlement is a matter for the Civil Aviation Authority. We would expect the NATS Board, in the first instance, to continue to consider the benefits of the employee share scheme and the terms on which it operates.

National Air Traffic Services: Scotland

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the forthcoming independence referendum on the National Air Traffic Service Centre in Scotland's ability to secure international contracts.

Robert Goodwill: No assessment has been made as we believe Scotland is stronger in the UK and the UK is stronger with Scotland in it. NATS’s success in winning international contracts is a matter in the first instance for its Board.

Network Rail

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff Network Rail employed (a) in the last year for which figures are available and (b) in 2010-11.

Stephen Hammond: Network Rail is currently a private sector company limited by guarantee, and its annual total staff complement is a matter for the company. Network Rail advises that in 2012-13, the last year for which figures are available, the average number of its employees was 35,190. The figure for 2010-11 was 35,606.

Network Rail: Land

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the value of outstanding property development proposals on Network Rail land is.

Stephen Hammond: Network Rail is currently a private sector company limited by guarantee and the development of its property portfolio is a matter for the company, within the regulatory and incentives framework established for it by the independent Office of Rail Regulation.

Public Transport: Tickets

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with cities outside London on interoperability of smart tickets between rail and bus services; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport is working closely with nine major cities and regions outside London to establish how plans to accelerate smart ticketing on bus and rail can be achieved. The initiative known as the ‘Smart Cities Partnership’ and funded by the Department brings together the authorities concerned, the operators and the policy makers to address some of the technical and commercial challenges.
	This programme will pave the way for other cities and authorities with similar ambitions to have smart interoperable ticket offers to passengers. It will also build upon the South East Flexible Ticketing programme which the Department is leading on which will see rail stations suitably equipped for smart ticketing, and more flexible smart ticket products on offer which are better suited to meet modern working and leisure patterns.

Public Transport: Tickets

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with Transport for London (TfL) about the use of other smart ticket systems in the TfL area; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: Department for Transport officials work regularly with Transport for London (TfL) both on the national strategy for smart and integrated ticketing and on implementation in and around London. Cooperation with TfL is integral to any smart ticketing system which includes the London area, in order to ensure full integration of systems and a positive passenger experience.
	TfL will shortly have completed the delivery of the “ITSO on Prestige” project, specified and funded by the Department, which has equipped the capital with readers that can now accept the national open standard for transport ticketing (ITSO) as well as contactless bank cards. We have been working closely with them to make the most of this investment, including accepting Southern’s “The Key” card which was successfully launched at Victoria by my Noble Friend the Minister of State for Transport, Baroness Kramer, last year. Southern is also working closely with us and TfL to roll out more products progressively as the capability becomes available.
	TfL is also a key delivery partner for the South East Flexible Ticketing programme (SEFT) and has been a signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding and a member of the Programme Board since the beginning. Significant work continues to be undertaken with them in order to ensure that the SEFT scheme will interoperate properly with their existing infrastructure in the London area.

Railways: Fares

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the modal shift from car to railway use as a result of eliminating the weekday minimum fare resulting from the use of the Network Rail card; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: It is not proposed to make any estimate of the modal shift that might result from the removal of the minimum fare applying on weekdays to the Network Railcard. The Network Railcard is offered on a commercial basis and therefore it would be for the train operators to consider any changes to its terms and conditions.

Railways: Passengers

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of increases in passenger numbers (a) nationally and (b) on the West Coast Main Line over the next 10 years.

Stephen Hammond: The total train passenger numbers is forecast to grow from an estimated 1,530 million in 2013-14 to 1,842 million by 2023-24.
	The Department has made no forecast of increases in passenger numbers on the west coast main line over the next 10 years. Chapter 4 of Network Rail’s West Coast Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy sets out anticipated changes in demand to 2024-25 and is available here:
	http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse_documents/rus_documents/route_utilisation_strategies/west_coast_main_line/westcoastmainlinerus.pdf

Railways: Tickets

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department has made on the introduction of part-time season tickets for rail commuters; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: Part-time season tickets for rail commuters will be trialled on a London commuter route next year; a competition will be held later this year to identify a train operator to undertake the trial.

Rescue Services

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many coastguard operations room staff have applied for both new posts in the new coastguard structure and voluntary redundancy;
	(2)  how many coastguard operations room staff have applied for voluntary redundancy;
	(3)  how many coastguard operations room staff have applied for posts in the restructured coastguard service.

Stephen Hammond: As at 14 April 2014, of those Coastguards currently working in a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, 86 have applied for both new posts in the new coastguard structure and voluntary redundancy, 140 have applied for voluntary redundancy only and 128 have applied for a new post in the new coastguard structure only.

Rescue Services

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how often and when each coastguard station has been under-staffed in the last two years.

Stephen Hammond: The following table shows the number of occasions each Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) was staffed at below risk assessed levels over the last two years by month.
	Where there are specific issues at a MRCC Her Majesty’s Coastguard is using the current long established pairing arrangements between MRCCs. This enables each MRCC to be connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support.
	
		
			 Number of occasions each Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) was staffed at below risk assessed levels 
			 Month Watches per month Shetland Aberdeen Humber Thames London Dover Solent Portland 
			 March 2012 62 1 13 6 33 0 7 3 13 
			 April 2012 60 1 58 0 40 0 38 9 41 
			 May 2012 62 1 22 3 26 0 36 8 19 
			 June 2012 60 0 28 2 40 0 26 9 30 
			 July 2012 62 0 41 0 40 0 39 8 16 
		
	
	
		
			 August 2012 62 0 37 0 48 0 38 10 5 
			 September 2012 60 0 38 0 50 0 32 4 8 
			 October 2012 62 0 46 0 45 0 15 0 8 
			 November 2012 60 0 27 0 41 0 19 3 9 
			 December 2012 62 0 35 0 53 0 22 3 24 
			 January 2013 62 0 30 1 37 0 22 1 19 
			 February 2013 56 1 27 0 46 0 34 0 9 
			 March 2013 62 0 31 19 34 0 37 0 6 
			 April 2013 60 1 24 1 22 0 32 3 5 
			 May 2013 62 6 25 5 24 0 18 2 11 
			 June 2013 60 1 25 11 16 0 31 4 8 
			 July 2013 62 6 27 14 46 0 32 7 15 
			 August 2013 62 20 26 20 55 0 27 15 30 
			 September 2013 60 5 26 34 35 0 34 2 10 
			 October 2013 62 0 7 21 33 0 16 3 16 
			 November 2013 60 2 10 27 33 0 13 2 12 
			 December 2013 62 3 33 30 33 0 21 7 10 
			 January 2014 62 1 14 25 21 0 19 5 2 
			 February 2014 56 4 16 22 25 0 17 3 8 
			 March 2014 62 2 28 21 37 0 28 10 7 
		
	
	
		
			 Month Brixham Falmouth Swansea Milford Holyhead Liverpool Belfast Stornoway 
			 March 2012 1- 22 2 0 4 0 0 5 
			 April 2012 1- 24 3 3 2 1 25 9 
			 May 2012 1- 29 1 1 9 8 25 19 
			 June 2012 1- 25 0 1 7 16 23 13 
			 July 2012 1- 39 10 3 21 15 24 20 
			 August 2012 7 21 2 3 13 11 29 18 
			 September 2012 4 39 0 5 9 20 14 13 
			 October 2012 2 29 0 1 0 3 6 12 
			 November 2012 3 33 2 0 0 7 14 7 
			 December 2012 6 34 1 6 2 5 45 20 
			 January 2013 3 10 2 1 2 16 48 3 
			 February 2013 2 13 2 1 7 11 46 8 
			 March 2013 0 13 4 2 7 10 35 16 
			 April 2013 1 2 2 0 2 32 48 7 
			 May 2013 2 7 3 1 5 23 37 7 
			 June 2013 6 12 7 1 10 26 51 3 
			 July 2013 1 2 23 5 14 39 50 13 
			 August 2013 1 3 30 3 10 39 41 12 
			 September 2013 8 0 7 4 15 20 34 12 
			 October 2013 1 5 9 1 1 20 5 8 
			 November 2013 0 3 9 7 0 11 8 14 
			 December 2013 5 3 21 2 0 15 11 13 
			 January 2014 1 0 10 5 0 7 6 5 
			 February 2014 0 5 6 5 0 11 5 5 
			 March 2014 1 10 2 6 2 8 8 6 
			 1 No data-The information for Brixham MRCC between March and July 2012 was not collated.

Rescue Services: Liverpool

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many coastguard operations room staff in Liverpool have left the service in the last two years.

Stephen Hammond: Since April 2012 eight Coastguards that worked in the operations room at Liverpool Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre have left Her Majesty's Coastguard.

Roads: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions his Department has had with Brighton and Hove City Council on the condition of roads in that area; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Goodwill: Officials at the Department for Transport discuss highways maintenance matters with local authorities as and when issues are raised with them. Brighton and Hove City council also registered to attend the recent ‘Gearing up for Efficient Highway Delivery and Funding from 2015 Roadshow’ where the Department sought views from the sector on the future of funding arrangements for highways maintenance and on improvements to the value for money of the local road network programme.
	The Department for Transport provides capital funding to local highway authorities from the local maintenance highways maintenance capital block grant and over the four year period from 2011 Brighton and Hove City Council’s allocation is £13.9 million.
	The Department has also allocated additional highways maintenance funding to authorities to help repair roads damaged due to severe weather events. For Brighton and Hove City Council this includes £0.152 million in 2010/11, £0.412 million in March 2011 and more recently £0.295 million in March 2014.
	A £200 million Pothole Fund was announced in the recent Budget. From this, £168 million is being made available to councils in England through a bidding exercise. Further details of the fund were made available on 24 April, and can be found at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/pothole-fund-2014-to-2015-application
	Any local authorities wishing to apply for a share of the funding are required to submit an application to the Department for Transport by 22 May 2014.

Roads: Safety

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require landowners and service suppliers to install manhole covers that have resistance abrasion values to prevent slipping and injury.

Robert Goodwill: The majority of manhole covers on the highway network fall under the responsibility of utility companies, with a small percentage in the ownership of local highway authorities.
	The Department for Transport currently has no plans to bring forward legislative proposals for landowners and service suppliers to install high-friction manhole covers to prevent slipping and injury. That said, we are aware of a number of authorities who are taking steps to replace manhole covers with ones having enhanced anti-skid properties.

Taxis: Licensing

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of local authorities in England and Wales require a Disclosure and Barring Service check on applicants before issuing a (a) taxi and (b) private hire vehicle licence.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport does not hold this information. Local authorities are under a statutory duty to ensure that any person to whom they grant a taxi or private hire vehicle driver’s licence is a “fit and proper person”. As part of this process they can undertake criminal record checks on applicants but we do not keep details of the assessment policies and procedures adopted by local authorities.

Transport: Per Capita Costs

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the level of funding per head of the population for transport in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: The most recent data available for regional expenditure is the Country and regional analysis for 2013, published by HM Treasury.
	Table A.15 shows UK identifiable expenditure on services by function, country and region, per head, 2008-09 to 2012-13, of which: Transport
	The following table gives identifiable expenditure per head for the West Midlands and England. Committed spend is not analysed at a lower level.
	
		
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 West Midlands 283 258 218 206 202 
			 England 317 348 317 288 267 
		
	
	The Department for Transport is not the only public body responsible for transport and a large proportion of expenditure is covered by local government bodies.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Atos Healthcare

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written statement of 27 March 2014, Official Report, columns 56-7W, on Atos, how many Atos Healthcare staff currently carrying out work capability assessments are expected to carry out personal independence payment assessments in future; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The Department maintains separate contracts with Atos Healthcare for the delivery of work capability assessments and Personal Independence Payment assessments and these contracts require that resources for these two contracts be kept separate.

Atos Healthcare

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written statement of 27 March 2014, Official Report, columns 56-57W, on Atos, whether Atos Healthcare will continue to carry out assessments for industrial injuries disablement benefits; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The written statement of 27 March 2014, Official Report, columns 56-58WS, refers to the exit of Atos Healthcare from the medical services agreement. This contract includes assessments for industrial injuries disablement benefits. Atos will continue to provide assessments until the transition to a new provider in early 2015.

Atos Healthcare

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what contracts are held by his Department with Atos Healthcare for the provision of medical and health-related assessments.

Michael Penning: The Department holds a national contract with Atos Healthcare for the provision of work capability assessments and contracts for personal independence payment assessments for PIP lot 1 covering north west England, north east England, Scotland and Isle of Man and PIP lot 3 covering London/southern England.

Atos Healthcare

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to monitor the transitional arrangements put in place by Atos Healthcare following the termination of his Department's contract with that company for the provision of work capability assessments.

Michael Penning: The Department has negotiated a more robust agreement covering the remaining contract term; with an agreed performance regime that gives us confidence delivery goals will be achieved. Atos will continue to deliver Work Capability Assessments (and other assessments and advice) until contract exit and will be subject to a rigorous quality and service credit regime. To this end, a remedial advisory team is being appointed to work with the Atos Healthcare management during this period to assist Atos in meeting their contractual obligations, ahead of awarding the contract to a new provider.

Children: Maintenance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made on his Department's child maintenance arrears and compliance strategy for 2012 to 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: Since 2008 we have considerably slowed down the growth of arrears via faster case processing and better enforcement. The successful introduction of the new 2012 Child Maintenance Scheme allows most paying parents to be assessed more quickly, which reduces the number of cases that accrue arrears. The new Child Maintenance Scheme is also built to trigger notification of missed payments so we can investigate non-compliance earlier, reducing the time in which arrears could build.
	We are also looking at new techniques for collecting older debt. The trial of the process of reclassifying arrears has concluded and we are analysing how this initiative might be used in the future.

Children: Maintenance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) timetable and (b) process will be under which debt suspension in older Child Support Agency (CSA) cases will be reviewed during the forthcoming CSA case closure process; and what process will be put in place to enable the participation of the parents in that process.

Steve Webb: The Child Support Agency (CSA) plans to close all 1993 and 2003 scheme cases over a three year period starting in 2014.
	When a client’s ongoing maintenance liability has ended, the case will be reviewed to ensure any arrears balance is accurate. This process will include any suspended debt to ensure the reason for suspension remains valid and, if not, the debt will be reinstated. Whether the CSA need to contact the client during this process will depend on the circumstances of the individual case.
	When the review has been completed, both clients will be informed of the arrears balance and can contact the CSA about this should they wish to do so.

Consultants

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which 10 consultancy firms were paid the most by his Department in the last financial year; and how much each of those firms was paid.

Michael Penning: The top 10 consultancy firms by spend in 2013-14 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 2,964,276 
			 KPMG 2,573,186 
			 WS Atkins plc 2,155,486 
			 Capgemini plc 1,520,975 
			 Ernst and Young 1,195,116 
			 Deloitte MCS Ltd 836,116 
			 Methods Consulting Ltd 35,400 
			 Compass Management Consulting Ltd 31,250 
			 British Telecom plc 27,250 
			 Experian Group Ltd 12,500

Employment Agencies

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which five companies were used most often to provide temporary workers for his Department in the last financial year; and how much in agency fees was paid to each of them.

Michael Penning: In the last financial year 2013-14 DWP used the services of Capita Resourcing Limited and Capita Business Services to provide temporary workers. The amounts paid in agency fees were as follows:
	Capita Resourcing Limited £9,517,163
	Capita Business Services £1,108,082
	Both Capita Resourcing Ltd and Capita Business Services provided a managed service to DWP to provide interim personnel and specialist contractors. The figures represent the total fee paid to Capita including the fees paid by Capita to the workers.

Employment Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times he has met work programme providers or their representative body to discuss the progress of employment support allowance claimants since June 2011.

Esther McVey: The Secretary of State has not met with work programme providers or their representative body about the progress of employment support allowance claimants since June 2011.

Housing Benefit: Rural Areas

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to continue discretionary housing payments for rural communities beyond 2014-15.

Steve Webb: In January 2014 the Government announced that the additional £5 million funding for the 21 least densely populated local authorities would be maintained in 2014/15. Information about individual DHP allocations to local authorities was published in the Subsidy Circular S1/2014. This can be accessed on the Government website GOV.UK through the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hb-subsidy-circular-s12014-discretionary-housing-payments-for-local-authorities-2014-to-2015
	An assessment has not yet been made about the level of need in rural communities for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) beyond 2014-15. DHP funding after 2014-15 will be agreed in due course and will be informed by evidence on the use and demand for DHPs, including in rural communities. The Department is currently collecting data on the use of Discretionary Housing Payments in the 2013-14 financial year.

Housing Benefit: Rural Areas

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what criteria he is distributing the additional £5 million discretionary housing payment for the least densely-populated areas announced on 30 July 2013.

Steve Webb: The £5 million rural discretionary housing payments (DHP) fund for 2013-14 was allocated to those local authorities (LA) with the smallest population per square metre. The fund was then proportionally distributed using LAs share of the original DHP allocation, i.e. if an LA had an 8% share of the total DHP allocation of the least populated LAs, then they received 8% of the rural fund.
	The £5 million funding provided in 2014-15 is intended to avoid a disproportionate impact on those affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy in remote and isolated communities. The Government has assessed that the geography in some areas means that potential remedies such as finding work or alternative accommodation, are less readily available, and as a result, transitions may take more time.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 2 April 2014, Official Report, column 724W, on housing benefit: social rented housing, for what reasons his Department has determined that a longer time frame than one year is required to assess the effects of the under-occupancy penalty on rent arrears in the social rented sector.

Esther McVey: Rent arrears can have multiple causes and levels tend to fluctuate over time. Analysis of monthly, quarterly or even a single year of arrears is insufficient to reliably remove these normal fluctuations, driven by both seasonal and general economic trends, and to determine whether and to what extent the removal of the spare room subsidy has impacted on rent arrears levels.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 2 April 2014, Official Report, column 724W, on housing benefit: social rented housing, if he will make an interim assessment of the effects of the under-occupancy penalty on rent arrears in the social rented sector in the first year of its introduction.

Esther McVey: We have already commissioned a two-year evaluation of the effects of the removal of the spare room subsidy across Great Britain. The evaluation commenced in April 2013 and is being led by Ipsos MORI and includes the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research. The final report will be published in late 2015.
	Rent arrears can have multiple causes and levels tend to fluctuate over time. A longer time frame than one year is required in order to factor out short-term fluctuations and to see whether and to what extent the removal of the spare room subsidy has impacted on rent arrears levels.
	There is some evidence that rent arrears levels are falling, as the Homes and Communities Agency reported in February 2014 that the median level of arrears among larger housing associations had fallen from 4.1% in the second quarter of 2013-14 to 3.9% in the third quarter of 2013-14.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for West Ham of 3 February 2014, Official Report, column 100W, on housing benefit: social rented housing, what work his Department would need to undertake in order to assess the potential effects of the under-occupancy penalty on the level of child poverty in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: To assess the impact the Department would need to adapt simulation models and undertake validation work to ensure consistency with published measures of child poverty. This would incur disproportionate cost.
	This Government has made good progress in tackling the root causes of child poverty and has recently published the 2014-17 draft child poverty strategy for consultation which outlines the actions we are taking. The latest figures from 2011-12 show that 2.3 million children (17%) are in relative income poverty-down 300,000 since 2009-10. These are the lowest levels since the mid-1980s. The number of children in workless households has fallen by more than 270,000 since 2010, which is key to driving down poverty.

Independent Living Fund

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding for the independent living fund his Department has withdrawn from local authorities in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17.

Michael Penning: Responsibility for supporting former ILF users will transfer to local authorities and the devolved Administrations from 1 July 2015.
	In line with the commitment made in last year's spending review, local authorities and devolved Administrations will be fully funded to enable them to meet those responsibilities in 2015-16.
	Budgets for 2016-17 and later years will be determined in future spending reviews.

Industrial Health and Safety: EU Action

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the progress of the current review of the European strategy on health and safety at work;
	(2)  what representations he has made to the current review of European strategy on health and safety at work; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The UK Government responded to the public consultation on a new policy framework for health and safety at work in the EU conducted by the European Commission in 2013. We emphasised the need for any new policy framework to be rooted in the principles of better regulation. The Commission has said that it expects to publish a communication on the outcome of that consultation this year and I look forward to seeing it in due course.

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average caseload was for a Jobcentre Plus advisor in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011, (d) 2012 and (e) 2013.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received from charities and community organisations on the removal of warm phones from Jobcentre Plus offices.

Esther McVey: The Department has received a number of inquiries from charities and community organisations on the removal of customer access phones.
	They have all been reassured that claimants will still have access to a telephone when necessary.
	Jobcentres provide face to face support for claimants. After the removal of customer access phones, claimants who require access to a phone in connection with their benefit or job search will be given controlled access to a telephone in a jobcentre.

National Employment Savings Trust Scheme

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are currently auto-enrolled in the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST); and what the mean monthly contribution paid in by members of NEST is.

Steve Webb: The National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) announced on 1 April 2014 that they have over a million members.
	The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold information about the level or amount of member contributions to NEST.

Pensioners: Poverty

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to tackle pensioner poverty; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: This Government wants all pensioners to have a decent and secure income in retirement. We have restored the link to earnings for the basic state pension and also introduced the 'triple lock', the guarantee that the basic state pension will increase by the highest of the growth in average earnings, price increases or 2.5%. We have protected key benefits for older people including: free eye tests; free NHS prescriptions; free bus passes; free television licences for those aged 75 and over and winter fuel payments.

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with Capita on the need to seek evidence from health and social care professionals in progressing personal independence payment assessments.

Michael Penning: The Department’s guidance to personal independence payment assessment providers explains that they should take steps to obtain further evidence if they believe it would help inform their advice to the departmental case manager, who will make a decision on the benefit claim, or negate the need for the claimant to attend a face-to-face consultation. Such evidence can come from a variety of sources, including but not limited to health and social care professionals.
	More information can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210722/pip-assessment-guide.pdf

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what meetings he has had with organisations (a) from the advice sector and (b) representing people with disabilities on the performance of Capita in introducing personal independence payments.

Michael Penning: I have had regular meetings with various stakeholder organisations, for example Macmillan, and my officials and I continue to engage with them on a regular basis.

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the early operational performance of each private sector company providing personal independence payments assessments;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the performance of Capita on the delivery of personal independence payments for those who are terminally ill;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the performance of Capita in the delivery of personal independence payments in Wales.

Michael Penning: Personal independence payment (PIP) is a new benefit and processes are currently bedding in. The Department’s contracts with Capita and Atos Healthcare for the delivery of assessments for personal independence payment include a full set of service level agreements setting out the Department’s expectations for service delivery, including quality of assessments and the number of days to provide advice to the Department.
	Officials meet regularly with both assessment providers to discuss performance. We are closely monitoring their progress against the Department’s expectations for service delivery and are taking action to drive up performance where this does not meet the required standards. In particular, for both providers, the end-to-end process for many claimants is taking significantly longer than originally anticipated. We are working with the providers to ensure that they are taking all necessary steps to improve performance, speed up the process and ensure claimants receive a satisfactory experience. Special rules claims for terminally ill claimants are dealt with urgently by our assessment providers. The latest published statistics show that over 99% of people with terminal illnesses who have applied have been awarded the benefit, which means over 9,500 terminally ill claimants are now receiving personal independence payment.
	Although limited data has started to feed through, we need to wait until the Department has quality assured, meaningful figures for publication. We intend to publish official statistics on PIP from spring 2014 in line with our publication strategy. An ad-hoc release of PIP information was published on 11 February 2014.

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department has issued to personal independence payment providers on calling in clients for personal independence payment assessments who are terminally ill.

Michael Penning: The ‘PIP Assessment Guide’, the Department’s guidance for personal independence payment assessment providers, states that face-to-face consultations are not required where a claim has been referred under the ‘Special Rules for Terminal Illness’ provisions.
	More information can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210722/pip-assessment-guide.pdf

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the quality of feedback to hon. Members by (a) his Department and (b) private sector providers when they raise constituents' concerns about personal independence payments.

Michael Penning: The Department for Work and Pensions and Ministers provide feedback to hon. Members in a range of ways, for example at meetings, during debates, through correspondence and by answering parliamentary questions. Where it is not possible to answer a particular query the Department will say so and indicate, where appropriate, when the information will become available in the future, for example through the release of statistical material.
	The two assessment providers for personal independence payment are responsible for dealing with complaints about their own respective levels of service and I understand that they may also deliver their own events for hon. Members. Both providers have their own processes for dealing with inquiries from MPs.

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many new personal independence payment claims were submitted by December 2013; and how many decisions have been made on those claims;
	(2)  what the maximum length of time taken to process an application for personal independence payments has been since the introduction of that payment;
	(3)  what proportion of Capita personal independence payment assessments have involved people who were mentally ill since the introduction of that assessment;
	(4)  what the average length of time taken was for personal independence payments to be made in Wales in each month for which data are available.

Michael Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Stephen Twigg), and the hon. Member for Airdrie and Shotts (Pamela Nash), on 5 March 2014, Official Report, column 850W.

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what recent estimate his Department has made of the savings to the public purse from the personal independence payment programme; and what assessment he has made of the long-term risks to that programme;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the National Audit Office’s conclusion in its report on personal independence payments: early progress that his Department has increased the risk that the personal independence payment programme will not deliver value for money in the longer term.

Michael Penning: The National Audit’s Office (NAO) report acknowledged that it is too early to make judgments about value for money.
	Both the NAO and Office for Budget Responsibility noted that the introduction of personal independence payment is expected to deliver very significant savings for the taxpayer, estimated to be £3 billion per year by 2018 as well as delivering fairer outcomes for disabled people.

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what outstanding commercial risks that might affect operational security his Department has identified in its relationship with contracted assessment providers.

Michael Penning: In the area of contracted assessment providers who are delivering work capability assessments under the medical services contract and personal independence payment assessments, the Department has no commercial risks that might affect operational security. Any commercial risks that might affect operational security are managed within the Department’s standard risk management framework and procedures.

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what tests his Department has made on its operating assumption across the whole claims process to identify future bottlenecks;
	(2)  what guidance his Department has issued on the amount of time to be taken for an individual to be assessed for a personal independence payment;
	(3)  whether his Department has tested (a) assessment providers’ and (b) departmental plans for dealing with backlogs and high numbers of assessments;
	(4)  what plans his Department has to inform claimants about delays they may experience while plans to improve performance of personal independence payment take effect.

Michael Penning: The Department does not have a target for completion of personal independence payment (PIP) claims while processes are bedding in. Clearly, we want to minimise the length of time claimants have to wait for assessments, but the key requirement is to produce high quality assessments, to enable DWP decision makers to make the right decisions about benefit entitlement.
	We are committed to driving up PIP performance and are in regular contact with our assessment providers to do this. We already monitor performance closely and liaise with assessment providers on a daily basis, supplemented by formal monthly performance review meetings. We will continue to work closely with assessment providers on an ongoing basis to monitor quality.
	Our original departmental operational delivery plans assumed a larger volume of assessment provider referrals than we are currently receiving and we have retained this surplus capacity using it to consolidate learning or carry out other duties. This will be available for deployment as cases are returned to the Department for decision maker action. The Department has contingency plans in place to secure additional capacity from other areas of the Department should assessment provider volumes exceed plans.
	From 10 March, we have included with the PIP2 “How your disability affects you” questionnaire, issued to PIP claimants, communications explaining how long they might be expected to wait for a PIP assessment. This information is also available on Gov.uk.

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department made of Capita's ability to handle large numbers of personal independence payment (PIP) claims before award of the PIP contract.

Michael Penning: The assessment of Capita’s ability to manage PIP claimant volumes was undertaken as part of the PIP Assessment Procurement exercise, conducted in line with Cabinet Office Guidelines.

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has held back from payments to Capita because of poor performance on personal independence payment assessments.

Michael Penning: The Department has applied performance measures against both of the Personal Independence Payment Assessment Providers and has recovered Service Credits (Financial remedies) in accordance with the contract.
	Specific application of service credits for Capita is commercially sensitive information.

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether the contract for the introduction of personal independence payment included targets for the (a) proportion of assessments to be conducted face to face and (b) average length of time for each assessment;
	(2)  what proportion of personal independence payment assessments were face to face in each month for which information is available.

Michael Penning: The Department has not set personal independence payment assessment providers targets for the proportion of assessments to be conducted face to face and the average length of time for each assessment.
	Personal independence payment started from April 2013 and although limited data has started to feed through, we need to wait until the Department has quality assured meaningful figures for publication. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. We intend to publish official statistics on PIP from spring 2014 in line with our publication strategy.

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of personal independence payment claimants faced travel times to assessments greater than 60 minutes; and what proportion of those claimants were mentally ill.

Michael Penning: The Department does not hold central records on claimants travelling time to a personal independence payment consultation, nor is it gathered by health condition, this information could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many concluded applications for personal independence payment there have been to date, by parliamentary constituency;
	(2)  how many applications have been made for the personal independence payment to date, by parliamentary constituency.

Michael Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Stephen Twigg) and the hon. Member for Airdrie and Shotts (Pamela Nash), 5 March 2014, Official Report, column 850W.

Separated People: Finance

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when each of the 10 Help and Support for Separated Families Innovation Fund projects announced by his Department in December 2013 will start.

Steve Webb: The round two projects delivered by the Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationships, Mediation Now, Family Matters Mediate, Family Lives, Children 1st, Sills and Betteridge, Headland Future and National Family Mediation have all started. Projects being run by NACCC and Pinnacle People have started to recruit parents to the project and will start seeing them before the end of April.

Separated People: Finance

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 103W, on separated people: finance, whether the proposed external independent evaluation of the Help and Support for Separated Families Innovation Fund projects will include as a consistent measure across the different projects the increase in the number of children benefiting from regular child maintenance payments to meet their day-to-day living costs as a result of the interventions being tested.

Steve Webb: External independent evaluation of the Innovation Fund projects will measure improvement in the relationship between parents, and therefore, their likely ability to reach agreement on a range of issues affecting their children, including agreeing financial arrangements. As the primary aim of these projects is helping parents to resolve conflict and work together, we will not specifically be measuring the number of children benefiting from regular child maintenance payments.

Social Security Benefits

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit claimants were sanctioned for failure to attend an appointment between (a) April 2012 and April 2013 and (b) April 2013 and April 2014.

Esther McVey: In the latest quarter for which figures are available (June to Aug 2013), decisions to apply a sanction were made against approximately two per cent of JSA claims, two per cent of ISLP claims and around one quarter of a per cent of ESA claims for failure to attend an appointment
	The information requested up to September 2013 is shown in the table below.
	
		
			 Number of individuals who had their benefit sanctioned for failure to attend: Great Britain, April 2012 to September 2013 
			  April 2012 to March 2013 April 2013 to September 2013 
			 Total 274,650 94,340 
			 Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 and totals will include individuals who have had a sanction applied for more than one period eg if an individual had a sanction applied in April 2012 and in April 2013 then they will appear in both of these periods. 2. Individuals who have had claims for more than one benefit sanctioned in the period will count twice, eg an individual receiving an ESA sanction in April 2012 who makes a subsequent JSA claim and receives a JSA sanction will count twice 3. The number of individuals sanctioned is the number of sanction or disallowance referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. 4. New sanctions rules came into force for JSA and ESA from 22 October 2012 and 3 December 2012. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jobseekers-allowance-overview-of-sanctions-rules Failure to attend for JSA includes: Failure to attend a place on a training scheme or employment programme, Failure to attend or failure to participate in an Adviser interview and Failure to attend Back to Work Session, without good reason. Failure to attend for ESA includes: Failure to attend/participate in a mandatory interview. 5. Income Support Lone Parents receive a fixed sanction of 20% of the personal allowance rate of a single claimant (not aged less than 25) for each failure to attend/participate in a Work Focused Interview until 10 pence is left in payment. This sanction lasts until the individual attends and participates in a Work Focused Interview. In the case where there is more than one sanction in place the claimant need only attend/participate in one Work Focused Interview in order for all related sanctions to be removed from their benefit. 6. Information on JSA and ESA sanctions is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database and Income Support Computer System

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in the UK received in excess of £100,000 in social security payments in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011, (d) 2012 and (e) 2013.

Esther McVey: This information is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent steps he has taken to prevent benefit fraud; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The level of fraud in the benefit system is relatively low at 0.7% of total benefit expenditure. However, any loss to the public purse due to fraud is unacceptable, which is why the Department is working across Government-and with the private sector-to further reduce the level of loss due to benefit fraud.
	We have made considerable progress since the Fraud and Error Strategy was published in 2010. In terms of prevention, this includes using Real Time Information in the universal credit pathfinders to prevent fraud and error on new claims before payments are issued. In addition we recently announced a package of measures which, amongst other things include extending these checks to other benefits.
	We are also testing the effectiveness of communications to help change attitudes to benefit fraud and to encourage people to routinely report changes of circumstances.

Social Security Benefits: Immigrants

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterpart on further steps to prevent benefit tourism.

Esther McVey: Ministers and officials are in regular dialogue with the European Commission and other member states about the co-ordination of social security in the European Union. DWP Ministers and officials have met with a number of their European counterparts in recent months to discuss mutual matters of interest where reforms to the social security coordination system have been discussed.

Social Security Benefits: Preston

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Preston constituency are subject to sanction of their (a) employment and support allowance and (b) jobseeker's allowance.

Esther McVey: Statistics on the number of jobseeker’s allowance benefit, and employment and support allowance claimants in the Preston parliamentary constituency who have been sanctioned, from April 2000, the earliest data we have, up to September 2013 which is the latest data available, are published and can be found at:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

Sportsgrounds: Industrial Health and Safety

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has made to authorities in Brazil and Qatar conveying the lessons learned in the UK about health and safety in constructing sporting stadia.

Michael Penning: A senior official from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) participated in the Government to Government Olympic Handover in Rio de Janeiro in November 2012 and established ongoing contact with the Brazilian labour inspectorate. HSE attended meetings held with the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup Supreme Committee in London during February 2014. In both engagements, attention was also drawn to the material published by HSE on the successes and lessons learned from the 'Big build’, which formed part of the Olympic Delivery Authority's legacy commitment. This can be found at
	http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/london-2012-games/index.htm

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of extending the triple lock guarantee to all British pensioners resident abroad; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The triple lock guarantee is intended to reflect the circumstances of pensioners living in the UK. It means that for this Parliament the basic state pension will increase by the highest of the growth in average earnings or price increases or 2.5%, for pensioners in the UK and for those who live overseas and currently receive an up-rated basic state pension.
	There are no plans to change the up-rating arrangements for UK state pension paid to pensioners overseas.

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of British pensioners resident abroad whose pensions have been frozen.

Steve Webb: The information as requested by nationality of state pension recipient is not available.
	However statistics on state pensioners residing abroad by frozen and non frozen rate countries are available on the Department’s website at
	http://83.244.183.180/100pc/sp/tabtool_sp.html

Unemployment: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the Youth Contract in the 20 designated areas of high youth unemployment.

Esther McVey: The Department has carried out an evaluation of the Youth Contract, to assess the effectiveness of the programme at a national level. The evaluation does not provide results for specific geographical locations, but the Youth Contract Official Statistics provides regional, Jobcentre Plus district, local authority and parliamentary constituency level data for work experience and sbwa.
	The information can be found at:
	Published evaluation reports
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/222943/early_impacts_of_work_experience.pdf
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/youth-contract-wage-incentive-wave-2-research
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/youth-contract-customers-experiences
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employer-perceptions-of-work-experience-and-sector-based-work-academies-rr-842
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-evaluation-of-the-youth-contract-wage-incentive-scheme-rr828
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-youth-contract-findings-from-research-with-jobcentre-plus-staff-in-five-case-study-districts-rr-833
	Official Statistics
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/youth-contract-official-statistics-february-2014

Unemployment: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department is monitoring the progress and effect of the EU Youth Guarantee.

Esther McVey: My Department takes part in a range of discussions at the EU level on issues relating to youth unemployment.
	The European Commission also continues to collect information from member states in this respect.
	We believe that action is best taken at a national level because governments are best placed to know what measures are needed to address the particular situation in their country.
	This Government introduced the youth contract, which is in addition to the support already on offer through the jobcentre.
	Latest statistics show that we are making real progress in tackling youth unemployment. Overall, youth unemployment in the UK is lower than most EU countries; it has fallen by 127 000 since peaking in 2011 and continues to fall. The Government remains focused on addressing this issue.

Universal Credit

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to ensure the long-term viability of the system for paying benefits into Post Office card accounts under the universal credit programme.

Steve Webb: No decision has been made on the future of the POca but discussions are currently taking place between DWP, Post Office Ltd and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to consider the future needs of customers beyond 2015.

Universal Credit

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will provide a simple route for people to donate their universal benefits back to the state; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The majority of winter fuel payments are sent out automatically. However, people can simply return their winter fuel payment to the office that issues it. They can also write to the Department requesting not to receive a winter fuel payment for future years, either in advance of first getting a payment, or after they have received one or more payments.
	Anyone aged 75 or over is entitled to a free TV Licence for their main address. The free licence is not issued automatically and needs to be applied for. Once issued, licences are renewed automatically every year unless the customer does not have a national insurance number in which case TV Licensing will contact them to confirm their circumstances have not changed each year. An over 75 licence can be cancelled at any time and a paid-for licence requested.
	The concessionary travel benefit is optional. An eligible person can choose not to take up the entitlement. The National Travel Survey 2011 shows that in GB, 79% of people eligible for an older persons’ bus pass held one.

Universal Credit

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how the universal credit local support services framework supports claimants who may require extra support in accessing universal credit.

Esther McVey: We recognise that some people will need help with the new demands of UC. This could include understanding the new system, help with getting online, and help with managing on a monthly budget and paying rent.
	Central to the Local Support Service Framework is the “Delivery Partnerships Approach” under which DWP and local authority managers and service providers (such as Social Landlords and Charities) will work together to agree upon delivery of services at the local level. This will enable the provision of a joined-up, holistic service for claimants with complex needs and a “coherent claimant journey” for helping the claimant move from welfare dependency. Wherever appropriate, this may also result in work readiness for each claimant.

Universal Credit

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to publish on the Government website an up-to-date impact assessment for universal credit.

Esther McVey: The Government published a detailed impact assessment in December 2012 to accompany the laying of the universal credit regulations that came into force in April 2013. There are no current plans to publish an update.

Vacancies: Greater London

Mary Macleod: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many job vacancies there are in (a) London, (b) the London Borough of Hounslow and (c) Brentford and Isleworth constituency.

Esther McVey: Headline figures on the number of unfilled vacancies at a point in time are published by the Office for National Statistics, based on a regular survey of employers. Latest figures, covering January-March 2014, show over 600,000 vacancies available in the UK economy at any one time. The sample size of the survey is, however, too small to allow information to be published below national level.

Work Experience

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that paid employees are not being replaced by unpaid staff under the Work Experience scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: All potential host businesses must sign an agreement with Jobcentre Plus, confirming that the work experience opportunity they wish to offer is on top of (not instead of) current and future vacancies.
	If there is any suspicion that a host is not complying with this agreement, the matter will be fully investigated.
	If doubts remain about the host employer's integrity, Jobcentre Plus will immediately terminate the agreement.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 66W, on the Work programme, how many of the organisations listed with sub-contracts as at 30 September 2013 had received no referrals in the previous years.

Esther McVey: The Department does not hold the information requested.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the performance of each Crown Prosecution Service business area was on (a) pre-charge decisions, (b) decisions to take to further action, (c) discontinuances after charge, (d) prosecutions, (e) convictions and (f) convictions after a not-guilty plea for each of the flagged offence groups in 2013-14 and each of the five previous years.

Oliver Heald: Tables have been deposited in the Library of the House containing the following information for each of the last five years for which complete and validated data is available.
	Number of pre-charge decisions and the proportion that resulted in a decision to take no further action.
	Number of finalised prosecutions
	Number of convictions and the conviction rate
	Number of prosecutions discontinued after charge
	Number of convictions in contested cases
	The figures are broken down for the 13 regional Crown Prosecution Service Areas and by principal offence category of the cases concerned. The principal offence category indicates the most serious offence with which the defendant is charged at the time of finalisation.

Domestic Violence

Robert Buckland: To ask the Attorney-General 
	(1)  how many domestic violence cases have led to prosecutions for non-injurious behaviours;
	(2)  whether any domestic violence cases have led to prosecutions for coercive control since the inclusion of coercive control in the Government’s definition of domestic violence in March 2013;
	(3)  how many cases of domestic violence have led to prosecutions for psychological abuse in each of the last five years.

Oliver Heald: The CPS flags all cases identified as domestic violence according to the revised Government definition implemented in March 2013. This includes the elements of coercive control, and behaviours which do not display visible injuries such as psychological abuse which were introduced in the revised definition. However, the records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) cannot separately identify the number of people prosecuted for each of these elements. Such information could be obtained only through a manual search of records which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Domestic Violence

Robert Buckland: To ask the Attorney-General whether any cases of domestic violence have led to prosecutions for stalking when the stalking behaviours occurred before the victim and perpetrator had separated.

Oliver Heald: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service do not identify the number of people prosecuted for domestic violence that have led to prosecutions for stalking where the stalking behaviour occurred before the victim and perpetrator had separated. Such information could only be obtained through a manual search of records which would incur disproportionate cost.

Pornography: Internet

Helen Goodman: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions have taken place under the Obscene Publications Act 1959 for the offence of providing unrestricted access to hardcore pornography online, as set out in the 2005 Crown Prosecution Service guidelines, disaggregated by year.

Oliver Heald: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) indicate the number of offences charged, in which a prosecution commenced at magistrates courts under Section 2 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 (publishing or having an obscene article for publication for gain), rather than identifying the number of people prosecuted.
	Section 2 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 creates the offence of publishing or having an obscene article for publication for gain.
	The following table shows, in each of the last eight years, for which figures are available, the number of offences, charged by way of Section 2 of the OPA 1959, and which reached a first hearing at magistrates courts, in England and Wales.
	
		
			 Financial year Obscene Publications Act 1959 { 2 } 
			 2005-06 111 
			 2006-07 105 
			 2007-08 111 
			 2008-09 152 
			 2009-10 82 
			 2010-11 71 
			 2011-12 76 
			 2012-13 34 
			 Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System

Private Sector

Lucy Powell: To ask the Attorney-General how many jobs have been transferred from the public to the private sector as a result of privatisations or outsourcing by the Law Officers’ Departments since May 2010.

Oliver Heald: The Law Officers’ Departments have not transferred any permanent jobs from the public to the private sector as a result of privatisations or outsourcing since May 2010.

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many cases were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service for pre-charge decision in 2013-14 and each of the five preceding years; how many of those cases were (a) subject to a decision to take no further action, (b) disposed of by way of a simple caution, (c) disposed of by way of a conditional caution, (d) disposed of by another type of out-of-court disposal, (e) prosecuted, (f) prosecuted successfully and (g) prosecuted successfully where the defendant contested the charge.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of suspects (not cases) referred to prosecutors for a pre-charge decision and the number of defendants prosecuted, following a decision to charge.
	The table below shows, in each of the last five years for which figures are available, the total number of charging decisions made against suspects and the outcome of decisions where the decision was to (a) take no further action, (b) caution, (c) conditionally caution or (d) recommend another out of court disposal. In addition, the table shows the number of defendants prosecuted at magistrates courts and at the Crown court, by the CPS following a decision to charge (e), the number convicted (f) and the number convicted after a contested hearing (g). The table does not include other outcomes related to pre-charge decisions.
	
		
			  Total pre-chargedecisions (a) No furtheraction (b) Simplecaution (c) Conditionalcaution (d) Other out ofcourt disposal (e) Prosecuted (f) Convictions (g) Convictionafter contest 
			 2008-09 532,427 140,895 9,596 8,378 4,520 357,785 288,996 31,049 
			 2009-10 477,522 127,502 8,040 8,229 3,088 326,051 259,017 28,777 
			 2010-11 468,656 120,144 6,595 6,935 2,390 332,935 261,539 28,186 
			 2011-12 369,564 89,104 4,275 4,982 1,377 282,970 223,504 26,042 
			 2012-13 309,315 73,916 2,993 3,781 863 233,594 185,176 20,872 
			 Source: CPS Case Management Information System. 
		
	
	The data reported in the above table are inclusive of suspects referred to the CPS for a charging decision and defendants prosecuted by the specialised national divisions of the CPS including, from April 2011, proceedings formerly dealt with by the prosecution functions of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health.
	Since 2011, the police have been able to charge some offences without referral to the CPS, as outlined in the DPP’s Guidance on Charging which can be found on the CPS website at:
	https://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/directors_guidance/dpp_guidance_5.html
	Data for the annual year 2013-14 are not currently available.

TREASURY

Annuities

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely change in annuities in 12 months' time for the average 65-year-old (a) man and (b) woman.

David Gauke: At Budget, the Government announced significant reforms to the pensions market, giving people greater choice about how to access their defined contribution pension savings. For many people, purchasing an annuity will remain the best way to secure an income in retirement.
	These reforms will help consumers choosing to buy an annuity to get a better deal in a much more competitive market place. The Government expects the change to the pensions market to stimulate innovation and new competition in the retirement income market. The shape of the market will now be driven by the choices consumers make, placing power back into the hands of savers.
	In December 2012 Government passed legislation to amend the Equality Act and ban gender-sensitive pricing. This means that annuity providers can no longer use gender as a factor when calculating annuity offers.

Child Benefit

Jake Berry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases of child benefit fraud his Department is investigating.

Nicky Morgan: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) approach to child benefit error and fraud is to verify all new claims and, on a risk basis, to check existing claims for incorrect information against data from other systems. Where HMRC consider that a claim may not be correct, they open an enquiry. Where the enquiry determines that the claim is incorrect, the claim or part of the claim is terminated.
	Child benefit compliance enquires are carried out continually throughout the year and as at 31 March 2014, HMRC had 3,565 ongoing cases.

Coinage: Forgery

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department made of the annual level of fraud involving the existing one pound coin in order to inform the decision to introduce a new style coin.

Nicky Morgan: At Budget the government announced that it will introduce a new and highly secure £1 coin.
	According to Royal Mint estimates counterfeiting of the £1 coin has been on an upwards trend for the past decade. The latest data shows an increase in the counterfeiting rate to 3.04%. This data is based on a survey undertaken in November 2013. Further information can be found at:
	www.royalmint.com/discover/uk-coins/counterfeit-one-pound-coins

Enterprise Zones: Coleraine

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that discussions are held with any relevant third parties regarding the boundaries of the proposed enterprise zone near Coleraine in relation to proposed private sector developments on adjacent land.

Danny Alexander: Designating the boundaries of the pilot Enterprise Zone in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive.

Floods: Northern Ireland

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what funds were provided in Barnett consequentials to the Northern Ireland Executive as a result of the flood relief funds granted in England and Wales.

Danny Alexander: The table below sets out the extra funding allocated to the Northern Ireland Executive through the Barnett formula to reflect new funding provided to UK government departments for flood defence measures at Budget 2014.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Northern Ireland 
			  2014-15 2015-16 
			 Flood Maintenance (Resource) 0.7 1.2 
			 Flood Maintenance (Capital) 2.0 0.8

Gift Aid

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what change there has been in the total amount of gift aid claimed by charities between 2008 and 2013.

Nicky Morgan: HMRC publishes data on repayments of Gift Aid to charities in Table 10.1 of its National Statistics at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/256802/table10-1.pdf

Housing: Sales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many property purchase transactions were made in each UK nation and region by non-UK residents in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: Stamp duty land tax (SDLT) is payable by purchasers of UK land or property, whether or not the purchaser is resident in the UK. The rates apply equally to UK and foreign nationals or companies.
	The information requested is not held in the format required and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Income Tax

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the effect was on revenue from top rate income tax of the reduction of the top rate from 60 per cent to 40 per cent in 1988 in the (a) first year and (b) second year following that reduction.

David Gauke: Observed changes in tax receipts following rate changes will reflect a combination of effects of the rate changes and underlying economic and distributional changes.
	One study that analyses these effects is set out in the Institute Fiscal Studies (IFS) Mirrlees Review, “Dimensions of Tax Design”. This studied the revenue impacts of tax changes during the 1970s and 1980s, including the rate changes in 1988. It is available at:
	http://www.ifs.org.uk/mirrleesreview/dimensions/ch2.pdf
	(see chapter 2).
	This study was part of the evidence considered by HMRC in the report “The Exchequer effect of the 50 per cent additional rate of income tax” published at Budget 2012. The behavioural response estimated in the HMRC report is consistent with a range of academic studies including the results from the IFS.
	The HMRC report is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/excheq-income-tax-2042.pdf

Individual Savings Accounts

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the increase in ISA limits announced in the 2014 Budget allow those with current ISAs to take advantage of the new limit between the present time and March 2015.

David Gauke: The 2014 Budget announced that the annual ISA subscription limit for 2014-15 will stand at £15,000. The new £15,000 limit will take effect on 1 July 2014. From that date, for the first time ever, ISA savers will be permitted to deposit their full ISA allowance into either a cash ISA, a stocks and shares ISA, or split in any combination between the two.
	Between now and 1 July 2014, savers are permitted to deposit up to £11,880 into a stocks and shares ISA and up to half of this amount into a cash ISA. From 1 July, subject to the terms and conditions of their accounts, they will be permitted to add additional funds up to the new £15,000 limit.

Landfill Communities Fund

Ian Austin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the performance of projects funded by the Landfill Communities Fund; what plans he has for the future of the fund; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had on the future of the Landfill Communities Fund.

Nicky Morgan: The Government regularly meets a range of stakeholders on the Landfill Communities Fund.
	The LCF makes a valuable contribution to local communities. All projects have to be approved by ENTRUST as meeting specific criteria, to ensure the project benefits the wider community. The value of the landfill communities fund for 2014-15 will be reduced to £71 million. This reduction takes account of progress that environmental bodies have made to address the government’s challenge to reduce unspent funds. The saving will be used to fund an equivalent one-off increase in DEFRA’s budget to address waste crime. The Government intends that environmental bodies’ performance against the challenge is published once the final information is available later this year.

National Savings Bonds: Pensioners

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what impact assessment he has made of the effect of pensioners savings bonds on the private sector investment market.

Nicky Morgan: The Budget set an upper limit of £10 billion for the level of inflows that National Savings and Investments (NS&I) should attract into the fixed-rate savings bonds for people aged 65 or over. This is less than 1% of the total UK retail savings market.
	The NS&I savings bonds announced at Budget should therefore not stop other institutions from attracting deposits or increasing lending. Furthermore, the introduction of New ISAs with an annual subscription limit of £15,000 will provide additional opportunities for banks and building societies to attract retail deposits.

National Savings Bonds: Pensioners

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the proposed role for National Savings and Investment (NS&I) offering pensioner savings bonds with NS&I's objective of reducing the cost to the taxpayer of Government borrowing.

Nicky Morgan: NS&I’s purpose is to provide cost effective financing for the Government that balances the interest of savers, taxpayers and the wider markets.
	Given that the NS&I fixed-rate savings bond for people aged 65 or over are a Budget measure designed to offer targeted support to a particular group of savers, the costs of raising funding through these bonds, rather than gilts, was represented in Table 2.1 of the Budget 2014 document.

Non-domestic Rates: Appeals

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many business rates appeals to the Valuation Office Agency are currently classified as (a) outstanding, (b) received and (c) cleared, by region; and what the current median time taken in days is to clear business rates challenges in each region.

David Gauke: Table 1 shows the latest available statistics on proposals (appeals), by region, to amend the 2010 rating lists. The numbers provided cover England and Wales for the duration of the 2010 rating list as of 30 September 2013.
	
		
			 Table 1: Proposals to amend the 2010 rating lists 
			 Region Total received1,2 1 April 2010 to 30 September 2013 Total cleared1,2 1 April 2010 to 30 September 2013 Total outstanding1,2 at 30 September 2013 Median time to clear (days) 30 September 2013 
			 England and Wales 572,780 409,680 163,100 360 
			 England 544,550 388,850 155,700 360 
			 North East 23,030 17,370 5,660 360 
			 North West 79,090 58,620 20,470 370 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 52,920 41,150 11,770 330 
			 East Midlands 34,530 26,520 8,010 300 
			 West Midlands 53,310 40,540 12,770 320 
			 East 53,340 37,530 15,820 380 
			 London 119,130 71,540 47,590 400 
			 South East 77,700 56,440 21,260 380 
			 South West 51,500 39,150 12,350 350 
			 Wales 28,230 20,830 7,400 360 
			 1 Figures may not sum to the totals due to the rounding of figures. 2 VOA Official Statistics, Local Rating Lists: Business Rates (Experimental Statistics): Table As, November 2013 http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/_downloads/xls/NDR_TableA_All_2010.xls

Office of Tax Simplification

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meetings he held with the Office of Tax Simplification in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13.

David Gauke: Treasury Ministers regularly meet with the Office of Tax Simplification and other parts of Treasury group as part of normal departmental and Government business. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.
	Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Personal Income

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the average net change in household income, taking account of consequential changes to benefits and tax credits, for (a) single earner households (i) without children, (ii) with one child and (iii) with two or more children and (b) two-earner couple households (i) without children, (ii) with one child and (iii) with two or more children in receipt of universal credit or other tax credits or in-work benefits as a result of the increase in the personal allowance in (1) 2014-15, (2) 2015-16 and (3) 2016-17.

Nicky Morgan: This information is not available, as the requested breakdowns have not been collated in this way.
	The Government routinely publishes distributional analysis of the cumulative impact of all its measures-which includes any offsetting reductions to benefits as a result of changes to tax-in the “Impact on Households” document, the most recent of which accompanied Budget 2014.

Policy

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what circumstances he uses a calculation of the (a) value of preventing a fatality, (b) willingness to pay and (c) cost-per-quality adjusted life year approach to quantify the value of a policy intervention; what other tools he uses to quantify the benefit of a policy intervention; and if he will make a statement.

Danny Alexander: The Green Book and associated supplementary guidance is publicly available on the Treasury web site. It sets out a range of approaches and methods that may be appropriate in a number of different appraisal circumstances. The valuation of preventing fatalities makes a contribution to the calculation of risk reduction in many situations and is used extensively by the Department for Transport among others. Department of Health policies are likely to impact on health and longevity. For the majority of these policies, the impacts will be quantified in terms of quality adjusted life years. The cost of producing a quality adjusted life year is used as part of the appraisal and evaluation of alternative health investments.

Public Expenditure

Margaret Curran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  when the last Finance Ministers Quadrilateral met; and if he will place in the Library the minutes of that meeting;
	(2)  when the next meeting of the Finance Ministers Quadrilateral will take place; and what will be discussed at this meeting.

Danny Alexander: The last Finance Quadrilateral was held on 18 November 2013.
	No formal minutes of the meeting were taken, but Ministers present discussed the general economic outlook for the UK and for each of the devolved Administrations, as well as looking forward to the forthcoming autumn statement. Agreement was reached at the meeting regarding the framework under which the devolved Administrations could carry forward financial transactions capital into future years.
	The Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Finance Ministers from the devolved Administrations aim to meet regularly in Quadrilateral format, complimenting bi-lateral meetings and conversations throughout the year. It is anticipated the next Quadrilateral will take place over the coming months. No date or agenda has yet been set.

Revenue and Customs

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what land is owned by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC); and what land HMRC plans to sell in the next year.

David Gauke: HMRC does not own any land, and does not have any un-encumbered freehold buildings within its estate. The only exceptions to this are that freehold interests in five Grade 1 Listed buildings are owned by HMRC. However, each of these is subject to encumbrances impacting value and market demand. These five are comprised of the following;
	Three historic Custom Houses (London, Greenock & Belfast) each of which is subject to a 175 year lease from 2001 with nil rent receivable. HMRC sold the virtual freehold interest in these properties in 2001
	Darwin House in Shrewsbury is subject to a 175 year lease from 2001 with nil rent receivable. HMRC also sold the virtual freehold interest in these properties in 2001
	100 Parliament Street / 1 Horse Guards Road in London is subject to occupational rights to 2037 for the PFI provider, with nil rent receivable.
	The 100PS Exchequer Partnership (EP 2) PFI agreement commenced on 19/11/2004 and runs for 33 years. HMT have a separate EP1 agreement for 1HGR.
	HMRC does not plan to sell land or buildings in 2014-15.
	This position was previously stated and accepted in a response to an enquiry made by the Homes and Community Agency in November 2013 on behalf of Cabinet Office (Government Property Unit) in relation to the Strategic Land and Property Review.

Revenue and Customs

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations HM Revenue and Customs has received from interested parties on the sale of the Customs House landholding near Dover Priory railway station.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs does not own the freehold interest and has not received any representations on the sale of the Custom House (also known as Priory Court) landholding near Dover Priory railway station.

Revenue and Customs

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidelines exist for the sale of assets and land belonging to HM Revenue and Customs.

David Gauke: The guidelines for the sales of assets and land belonging to HM Revenue and Customs are contained in ‘Managing Public Money’ published by HM Treasury.

Revenue and Customs: Northern Ireland

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the future of HM Revenue and Customs' centres in Northern Ireland.

David Gauke: HMRC has recently announced its intention to consult on the proposed closure of 12 of its general offices across the United Kingdom. This process will start in June 2014 and will include one office in Northern Ireland; Custom House, Newry.
	HMRC officials and I met with you and three parliamentary colleagues representing Northern Ireland interests on 15 January 2014. At this meeting HMRC officials advised that none of its general offices will close until at least 2015.
	As already announced on 12 February, HMRC will be closing its 10 Northern Ireland enquiry centres later this year. This is as a result of HMRC introducing a new service, supporting customers who need extra help getting their tax and benefits right. This service will offer customers who need extra help more in-depth support on the phone and a mobile advisory service if they need a face-to-face appointment. HMRC will roll out the new service across the UK from 31 May 2014, followed by the closure of Enquiry Centre network by 30 June 2014.
	HMRC has widely consulted with third parties on the Enquiry Centre closures and piloted the new service in the north-east of England.

Revenue and Customs: Preston

David Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will put arrangements in place to enable telephone callers to the Tax Credit Office in Preston to raise queries with an official rather than through the automatic telephone system.

David Gauke: The introduction of HMRC’s Intelligent Telephony Automation (ITA) system has enabled HMRC to significantly reduce call handling and call waiting times and increase satisfaction.
	The speech recognition technology system reacts to what the caller says instead of selecting an option by pushing a button on their phone. ITA allows customers to say what they want to discuss when they telephone HMRC. For the majority of customers, this means their queries are answered by tailored informational messages, without the need to speak to an adviser. If a customer still wants to speak to someone, ITA ensures the adviser is already aware of the customer’s reason for calling, offering a more effective customer service.
	This enables HMRC to offer a more efficient and tailored customer service and where necessary, give the customer extra support.

Smuggling: Tobacco

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the (a) number of cigarettes, (b) volume of roll-your own tobacco and (c) value of the (i) cigarettes and (ii) tobacco smuggled into the UK in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the loss to the public purse as a result of illicit, illegal and smuggled tobacco in each of the last five years.

Nicky Morgan: Estimates of the volume and total revenue losses associated with the tobacco illicit market are published in ‘Tobacco Tax Gap estimates: 2012-13’. The figures are available in tables 4.1 and 4.5.
	These estimates cannot be disaggregated by the type of illicit activity, e.g. through smuggling, counterfeiting or other fraud.
	The methodology for producing the estimates are provided in the ‘Methodological Annex for Measuring Tax Gaps 2013’.
	Both documents can be accessed via the following page on the HMRC website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/measuring-tax-gaps

Tax Avoidance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  with reference to HM Revenue and Customs' consultation document, Tackling marketed tax avoidance, published on 24 January 2014, whether consideration was given to (a) running the consultation for longer than one calendar month and (b) initiating it earlier, to allow more time for the decision-taking process in advance of the March 2014 Budget Statement;
	(2)  with reference to the statement by the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury in his foreword to HM Revenue and Customs' consultation document, Tackling marketed tax avoidance, that there is evidence that in the vast majority of cases of challenges in court to tax avoidance schemes, when the dispute is resolved, tax is due, what that evidence is and what the range and frequency of amounts so due has been, on a graduated scale from £1 owing and upwards.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has been successful in challenging tax avoidance and, in relation to avoidance cases that go to litigation, around 80% of cases litigated resulting in the tax being due. This led to around £1.7 billion of tax being protected in 2013. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of the range and frequency of amounts of tax due without causing undue cost on the department to provide the information.
	The Government considered different options for the consultation period for the proposals but concluded that the time period made available was reasonable. There were a very large number of responses, which suggests that the timescale did not cause any undue impediment to those who wished to give their views in response to the consultation. ‘Tackling Marketed Tax Avoidance’ followed on from the earlier consultation over the summer of 2013 ‘Raising the Stakes on Tax Avoidance’, which consulted in detail on the initial proposal for the Follower Notice measure.

Taxation: Financial Services

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has held with financial institutions based in the UK in respect of improving tax transparency in other jurisdictions in which they or their subsidiaries operate.

David Gauke: The Government carried out a formal consultation, starting in September 2013, on the capital requirements directive’s tax transparency proposals for financial institutions which require country-by-country reporting. The records of the consultation are publicly available.

VAT: Publishing

Aidan Burley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with their EU counterparts on (a) VAT rates on e-books, digital magazines and newspapers and (b) application of reduced rates; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: Officials discuss a variety of VAT issues with the European Commission and the officials of other member states.

EDUCATION

Academies

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether academies are permitted to (a) sell and (b) otherwise financially profit from their holding of school title deeds which were formally held by local authorities.

Edward Timpson: When community schools convert to academies, the freehold is retained by the local authority and a lease is granted to the academy trust.
	There are strict rules protecting publicly funded land used by academies, regardless of who holds the freehold. This is set out in published guidance, which is available at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/protection-of-school-playing-fields-and-public-land-advice
	A copy of the guidance has been placed in the House Library.

Academies

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what criteria Ofsted uses when inspecting academies that do not follow the National Curriculum in Key Stage 3 and do not use National Curriculum levels; and how Ofsted judges pupil progress in these circumstances.

David Laws: This question is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.

Academies: Admissions

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which academy schools have been granted a relaxation or variation of the School Admissions Code; and what the nature of each such relaxation or variation is.

Edward Timpson: All academy schools’ funding agreements require them to comply with admissions legislation and the school admissions code. The Secretary of State for Education can agree different arrangements (‘derogations’) for individual academies and free schools but would only do so in limited circumstances where it would benefit local children.
	Derogations are contained within the admission annex of the relevant funding agreements published at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/
	All free schools are able to allocate places outside of local authority co-ordination in their first year; while all academy schools opened since 2012 can prioritise admissions for pupils eligible for the pupil and service premiums. We would also permit those opening before 2012 to change their funding agreements in order to give priority to such pupils.
	Specific derogations have also been agreed for individual schools. As stated on the Department’s website, where parents have worked hard to create a free school, we will consider requests to allow a limited number of founder’s children in that school to get priority in admissions. We have permitted a small number of free schools to give priority to founder’s children. These are detailed in the schools’ funding agreements. Specific derogations are also in place for three academy schools set up under the previous administration, in Belvedere Academy (Liverpool) for a transitional period until 2015 to allow pupils on the roll of an independent school that used to be part of Belvedere to be admitted to the academy; in Priory LSST (Lincoln), to permit it to select 10% of its students by technology and in Ormiston Academy (Birmingham) to allow it—as a regional centre for the arts—to select the majority of its pupils by aptitude for the performing arts.

Autism

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the DSM-5 diagnosis method for autism.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has made no assessment of the Diagnostic and Statistical 5 (DSM-5) diagnosis for autism. Diagnostic methods are matters for appropriately qualified professionals. Schools and local authorities have duties to identify, assess and make suitable provision for children with special educational needs whether they have a medical diagnosis or not.

Children in Care

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2014, Official Report, column 556W, on children in care, if he will publish the list of local authorities which provided information on virtual school head teachers.

Edward Timpson: All 152 local authorities in England have provided information about officers in the authority who are carrying out the virtual school head role.

Children: Cerebral Palsy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure parents are aware of the early years educational support available to children with cerebral palsy under two years of age.

Elizabeth Truss: The Early Years Foundation Stage framework makes clear that providers must have and implement a policy and procedures to promote equality of opportunity for children in their care, including support for children with special educational needs (SEN) or disabilities.
	The Government is introducing wide-ranging reforms through the Children and Families Act 2014 to improve provision and support for children and young people with SEN and disabilities from birth up to the age of 25.
	The Act requires local authorities to publish a local offer of services for children with SEN or a disability which will include children with cerebral palsy. The local offer will set out in one place information about provision families can expect to be available across education, health and social care for children and young people who have SEN or are disabled, including those who do not have Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans.
	The local offer will also provide parents with clear, comprehensive and accessible information about the services and support available and how to access it, including that from Early Years services. This should include relevant services from agencies such as Portage and Early Support, arrangements for identifying and assessing children’s needs in the early years and support available to parents to aid their child’s development at home.
	The offer will make provision more responsive to local needs and aspirations by directly involving families and service providers in its development and review, enabling them to have a greater say in how services and support develop over time.
	The new birth to 25 SEN Code of Practice, due to come into force from September 2014, will set out clear expectations for practitioners on how they work together with families of children with SEN or disability to understand their child’s needs and help them to access support quickly.

Children: Cerebral Palsy

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the quality of early years education support for children diagnosed with cerebral palsy;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Department of Health on joint working to produce best practice guidance for education and health professionals to ensure that children with cerebral palsy have their needs identified and supported.

Edward Timpson: Under the Children and Families Act 2014, health bodies identifying a 0 to five-year-old child with special educational needs (SEN) or a disability must discuss this with the parent and bring the child to the attention of the local authority so they can consider whether an education, health and care plan is needed. The Department for Education is working with the Department of Health and NHS England to support health commissioners and clinicians to play their part in the SEN reforms.
	In early years settings practitioners must consider the individual needs, interests, and stage of development of each child in their care and whether a child may have SEN or a disability requiring specialist support. Providers must review children’s progress between the ages of two and three. Where SEN or disability is identified, practitioners should develop a targeted plan to support the child’s future learning and development involving other professionals as appropriate.
	We provide funding to Early Support to support the implementation of the SEN reforms. As part of this, Early Support worked with Scope to produce guidance to parents and others on cerebral palsy, which was published in 2012. This guidance is published online at:
	http://www.ncb.org.uk/media/923252/earlysupportcerebral_palsy_final.pdf

Children: Mental Health

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to deal with emotional neglect of children.

Edward Timpson: Our revised statutory safeguarding guidance, ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2013’, includes a definition of emotional abuse which social workers already act on when deciding on what action to take to keep a child safe.
	We want social workers and other professionals who work with children and families to recognise the early signs of all forms of abuse and neglect and take appropriate action. To support this, the Department is working on a number of initiatives. We have brought together a panel of experts to review the evidence concerning indicators of neglect that are associated with a likelihood of future harm to babies, pre-school children and school-age children.
	We are reviewing the recommendations in the Action for Children report ‘Child Neglect: The scandal that never breaks’ and the Ofsted report ‘In the child's time: professional responses to neglect’ and will consider how to support professionals in recognising early signs of all forms of neglect. We are also working with the Department of Health on their proposals for the development of a new criminal offence of ill-treatment or wilful neglect. Following the Narey review, we are improving social work training and developing further the skills of social workers in critical areas including neglect and how to undertake a good quality assessment.
	We have also published training materials commissioned from Action for Children and the University of Stirling. These materials, ‘Childhood neglect: Improving outcomes for children’, contain guidance and training resources to help staff identify and respond early to all signs of neglect and to know what types of interventions are the most effective.

Children: Social Services

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what resource is available to parents who believe that Social Services departments are behaving unreasonably in pursuing their children's safeguarding activities.

Edward Timpson: Parents should, in the first instance, complain to the service provider or the local authority’s complaints officer if they are unhappy about the way a local authority has handled a specific case. They may find it helpful to contact the local authority to obtain details of the authority’s own complaints procedure. Details of how to complain about a local authority service can be found online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/understand-how-your-council-works/make-a-complaint
	Parents may wish to complain to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) if they feel dissatisfied with the handling of their complaint under the local authority procedure. More information on making a complaint to the LGO is available at www.lgo.org.uk or by calling the LGO advice line on 0300 061 0614 or 0845 602 1983.

Consultants

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which 10 consultancy firms were paid the most by his Department in the last financial year; and how much each of those firms was paid.

Elizabeth Truss: Under this Government’s transparency programme, details of spend is published on gov.uk which is available at:
	http://data.gov.uk/data/openspending-report/index

Creationism

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what mechanisms his Department has put in place to ensure that (a) schools, (b) nurseries and (c) learning establishments receiving any funds or endorsement from his Department teach evolution and do not teach that creationism is scientifically valid.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government’s policy is that evolution should be taught in schools as an essential element of a rigorous scientific education; teaching creationism as science is incompatible with the delivery of a broad and balanced curriculum.
	The national curriculum requires all maintained schools to teach evolution as an established scientific theory. All academies and free schools are required to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum. The model funding agreements for all kinds of academies and free schools are being revised. The latest published version includes a specific requirement to teach evolution, and prohibits the teaching of creationism as an evidence-based theory.
	As in all areas of education, we look to Ofsted as the best and most effective lever to ensure expected standards are being achieved. All state funded schools are subject to Ofsted inspections which are required to report on the quality of education provided in the school including the quality of teaching.
	Providers in receipt of early years funding must follow clear standards to make sure children are taught the key skills they need to get a good start in life. Where an Ofsted inspector identifies any concerns, they must notify Ofsted’s compliance, investigation and enforcement team, who will consider notifying the appropriate agencies.
	We expect the Government’s position on creationism and evolution to be supported by any learning establishment in receipt of funding from the Department for Education to support science education.

Employment Agencies

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which five companies were used most often to provide temporary workers for his Department in the last financial year; and how much in agency fees was paid to each of them.

Elizabeth Truss: Under this Government's transparency programme, details of spend for the Department for Education are published on gov.uk which are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-education
	To provide the level of detail requested in relation to agency fees would incur disproportionate cost.

Free School Meals

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what support he plans to give schools which have no kitchen facilities and are unable to build such facilities because of financial constraints, and which cannot have meals delivered from other local schools, to enable them to provide free school meals for infant children; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: The Government is providing £150 million capital funding in 2014-15 to support the introduction of universal infant free school meals, in addition to over £1 billion additional revenue funding over the two years 2014 to 2016. Local authorities are also free to use some of the capital they receive for general maintenance and improvement purposes to upgrade kitchen and dining facilities in schools, if that is a priority locally.
	The pilots of universal free school meal provision which ran in Newham and Durham between 2009 and 2011 showed, however, that building new facilities is not the only way to increase school meal uptake.
	To help schools to find solutions which meet their local circumstances, on 6 March we launched a national support service which consists of a telephone and online advice service for schools, local authorities and caterers, and a direct-support service for schools which need additional support. The service is being provided by school food experts, the Children’s Food Trust and the Lead Association for Catering in Education, in conjunction with a number of delivery partners. More information is available at:
	http://www.childrensfoodtrust.org.uk/Root/schools/schoolfoodplan

Park View Educational Trust

Khalid Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will direct the Park View Educational Trust to disclose the sources of other income, donations or fundraisers as identified in their accounts.

Edward Timpson: Under the terms of their funding agreements with my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, all academy trusts are required to prepare annual financial statements in accordance with company, charity and public accountability requirements. Academy trusts are required to have their financial statements audited by a registered auditor, including the regularity of income and expenditure. Disclosure requirements are set out in the Academies Accounts Direction, which is available at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/academies-accounts-direction-2013

Policy

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education in what circumstances he uses a calculation of the (a) value of preventing a fatality, (b) willingness to pay and (c) cost-per-quality adjusted life year approach to quantify the value of a policy intervention; what other tools he uses to quantify the benefit of a policy intervention; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: Department for Education economists employ a range of valuation tools as appropriate to specific policy interventions in order to advise Ministers, following the principles and techniques prescribed in HM Treasury guidance. Such techniques are also used as appropriate in research commissioned by the Department, for instance in policy evaluations.

Primary Education: Admissions

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 8 April 2014, Official Report, column 205W, on primary education: admissions, and of 6 March 2014, Official Report, column 904W, on academies, regarding primary school admissions from nursery schools, if he will make it his policy to reject the Chief Schools Adjudicator's recommendation to issue further guidance for admission authorities and instead amend the admissions code to enable primary schools to create all-through primary schools that include the years prior to reception. [R]

David Laws: The School Admissions Code does not prevent a school from becoming an all-through primary school for children aged two or three to age 11. It does, however, prevent schools from giving priority for reception places to children who have been admitted to the nursery class unless they can do so fairly and without disadvantaging children whose parents choose other forms of early education.
	Ministers are considering the Chief Schools Adjudicator’s recommendation that they issue further guidance for admission authorities so that there is fair access to schools for all children.
	We take fair access very seriously but also want to explore the incentives for schools to use their expertise to enhance early years education.

Private Sector

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many jobs have been transferred from the public to the private sector as a result of privatisations or outsourcing by his Department since May 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: The number of jobs transferred from the Department for Education to the private sector since May 2010 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of jobs transferred 
			 2010-11 0 
			 2011-12 0 
			 2012-13 12 
			 2013-14 0

Pupil Exclusions

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2014, Official Report, columns 787-8W, on pupil exclusions: autism, how much funding is allocated specifically to exclusion advisers.

Elizabeth Truss: Funding is given to the National Autistic Society under the Department’s National Prospectus Grants Programme covering April 2013 to March 2015. Of the £440,000 under this grant, the Society estimates that some £80,000 over the two years will have been spent on the exclusions work. This will cover the salary of the exclusion adviser, related costs such as pension and national insurance contributions, recruitment costs, overheads, the production of resources, along with a report and its dissemination.

Pupil Exclusions: Bullying

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools suspended pupils for (a) bullying and (b) cyber-bullying between 2004 and the latest date for which information is available.

Elizabeth Truss: Figures on the number of schools that excluded one or more of their pupils for bullying since the 2004/05 academic year have been provided in the following table. Information on cyber bullying is not collected by the Department for Education.
	
		
			 State-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schools1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6Number of schools with at least one pupil receiving a permanent or fixed period exclusion for bullying 
			 England, 2004/05 to 2011/127 
			  Number of schools with at least one pupil receiving a permanent exclusion for bullying Number of schools with at least one pupil receiving a fixed period exclusion for bullying 
			 2004/05 109 2,321 
			 2005/068 68 9— 
			 2006/07 75 2,152 
			 2007/08 66 1,871 
			 2008/09 38 1,768 
			 2009/10 45 1,784 
			 2010/11 45 1,666 
			 2011/12 37 1,587 
			 1 Includes middle schools as deemed. 2 Includes all primary academies, including free schools. 3 Figures relating to permanent exclusions include data for both city technology colleges and all secondary academies, including all through academies and free schools. Information is as reported by schools. 4 Figures relating to fixed period exclusions include city technology colleges and all secondary academies, including all through academies and free schools. Information on fixed period exclusions was collected from city technology colleges and academies for the first time in 2005/06. 5 Figures for permanent exclusions include maintained special schools, non-maintained special schools and special academies. Excludes general hospital schools. 6 Figures for fixed period exclusions include maintained special schools and special academies. Non maintained special schools are included from 2006/07. Excludes general hospital schools. 7 Figures relating to permanent exclusions for the years 2004/05 to 2009/10 are estimates based on incomplete pupil-level data. 8 In 2005/06 only secondary schools returned fixed period exclusions, therefore, figures for this year are not comparable to other years. 9 Not available Source: Termly Exclusions Survey and School Census

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether Ofsted's interpretation of closing the attainment gap between pupils eligible and not eligible for free school meals relates to the gap in attainment nationally or in the school being inspected. [R]

David Laws: This question is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty’s chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.

Schools: Disadvantaged

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many times (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have visited schools in the areas of highest deprivation since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has made a priority of visiting schools and colleges located in deprived areas. Almost two thirds of the schools and colleges the Secretary of State has visited since 2010 are located in the 50% most deprived areas of England according to the 2010 Index of Multiple Deprivation. This does not include political or constituency visits.
	It is not possible to say on how many occasions officials from the Department have visited schools in this group, as this information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Schools: Flags

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the merits of requiring all schools in the UK to fly the Union flag.

David Laws: The Department for Education has made no such assessment.

Schools: Inspections

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reasons local authorities are inspected by Ofsted separately from schools maintained by local authorities.

David Laws: The Chief Inspector has powers to carry out an inspection of the performance of a particular local authority function as set out in Section 136(1)(b) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. Specifically, he can use this power to inspect how well the local authority is fulfilling its general duty to promote high standards and fulfilment by every child of their educational potential as set out in Section 13A of the Education Act 1996.
	These powers are separate from his powers and duties in relation to the inspection of individual schools which are set out in Section 5 and Section 8 of the Education Act 2005. Section 5 requires Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector to inspect individual schools at prescribed intervals, and Section 8 Education Act 2005, contains a general power which enables the Chief Inspector to call for the inspection of a school in circumstances where he is not required to inspect.

Schools: Inspections

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 81W, on academies, for what reason bodies which run academy chains are not inspected by Ofsted separately from the individual schools run by the academy chains.

Edward Timpson: Ofsted already inspects academy chains through batched inspections of schools within chains. It has recently undertaken focused inspections of academies within E-ACT multi-academy trust, and has previously inspected a group of academies within the AET chain. This has shown to be an effective approach and there are no plans to widen Ofsted’s legal powers to include the inspection of head offices.

Sixth Form Colleges

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to provide capital funding for sixth form colleges to enable them to provide free school meals to disadvantaged pupils.

Matthew Hancock: We are making available approximately £75 million revenue funding over the course of the 2014-15 and 2015-16 financial years to enable sixth-form and further education colleges to provide free meals to disadvantaged 16 to 18-year-old students.
	We will publish advice on the funding and implementation of this policy shortly.

Sixth Form Colleges

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what criteria were used to calculate the levels of area cost adjustment used for sixth form colleges in (a) Cambridgeshire and (b) Oxfordshire; and how frequently those criteria are reviewed.

Matthew Hancock: Area cost adjustments for 16-19 education and training are based on the differing wage costs across England, as indicated by the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The same area cost index is used for sixth form colleges as for all other post-16 institutions in England that are funded by the Department for Education. It is also used for education and training for adults funded by the Skills Funding Agency.
	The current area cost index was developed in 2002 by the Learning and Skills Council and has been reviewed on several occasions since then. Initially Cambridgeshire did not have an area cost adjustment, but in 2008 there was a specific review of the area cost adjustment for the county, which considered a range of factors and gave Cambridgeshire an uplift of 2% for the academic year 2009/10 and all years subsequently. The uplift for Oxfordshire is 7%.
	The whole post-16 funding formula was reviewed in 2012, and we decided at that stage not to make any changes to area cost adjustments.

Social Services: Somerset

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what measures are in place to check whether the decision made by Somerset County Council on safeguarding children are fair in their treatment of parents.

Edward Timpson: In ‘Working Together 2013’, the Department for Education set out the expectations and requirements of all local authorities in relation to their statutory duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. A copy of ‘Working Together 2013’ can be found in the library of the House, or online at the following address:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/281368/Working_together_to_safeguard_children.pdf
	This includes how children and families should be treated during any investigations. Should any parent be dissatisfied about the way a local authority has handled a specific case, they may find it helpful to obtain details of the authority’s own complaints procedure.
	Parents may wish to complain to the Local Government Ombudsman if they feel dissatisfied with the handling of their complaint under the local authority procedures. It is the Ombudsman’s role to investigate complaints in a fair and independent manner.
	Assessment of overall children’s services provision and safeguarding is undertaken independently by Ofsted under the new Single Inspection Framework.

Social Services: Somerset

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the performance of the children and families department in Somerset County Council.

Edward Timpson: Ofsted inspected Somerset county council’s arrangements for the protection of children between 24 June 2013 and 3 July 2013 and published their findings on 5 August 2013. Ofsted judged the authority’s performance as ‘inadequate’.
	My officials met with representatives of Somerset county council on 20 August 2013 to discuss the Ofsted judgment, the Department's proposed course of action and the Council's immediate plans for improvement.
	I wrote to the leader of Somerset county council, John Osman, on 13 September 2013 to underline my concern at the Ofsted judgment of performance and set out my intention to issue the council with an Improvement Notice.
	I issued a 12-month Improvement Notice to Somerset county council on 22 November 2013, requiring the council to institute an improvement board headed by an independent chair to drive improvement and hold partners to account. The improvement board has sat monthly since October 2013 and I am represented at each board by my officials.
	I plan to visit Somerset county council to assess improvements for myself. My officials will also undertake a review of progress in June 2014 and report findings to me. I will then assess progress against the Improvement Notice and Ofsted recommendations and decide whether to intervene further.

Special Educational Needs

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate his Department has made of the additional financial contributions made by parents to top up care for children with statements of special educational need.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has not made such an estimate. Where a child has a statement of special educational needs (SEN), it should detail the provision that the child requires to meet their SEN. The local authority has a duty to ensure that the provision set out in the statement is made.
	Where a parent feels that the provision specified in a statement is no longer sufficient, they can request a reassessment. They can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal for Special Educational Needs and Disability against any decision not to re-assess, or if they do not agree with the provision set out in the resulting statement.
	The Children Act 2014 makes provision for education, health and care plans (EHC plans) to replace statements. EHC plans will cover the full range of the child’s needs. They will be subject to the same protections and rights of appeal as statements. In addition there will be a new duty on health commissioners to arrange health provision set out in the EHC plan.

Special Educational Needs

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2014, Official Report, column 191W, on special educational needs, which local authorities will trial the First-Tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) pilots.

Edward Timpson: We have not yet selected the local authorities for the pilot.

Special Educational Needs

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2014, Official Report, columns 789-90, on special educational needs, when he expects the special educational needs (SEN) gateway will be available for all parents of SEN children;
	(2)  what support his Department is providing to Nasen.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education is providing funding of £918,000 to Nasen over two years to develop a special educational needs (SEN) gateway. This will provide professionals with access to free high-quality SEN resources and training materials to support children with SEN and disabilities.
	The gateway will be designed primarily for educational professionals in schools, colleges and other educational settings rather than for parents, although they will be able access the gateway. It is due to be launched in May 2014.

Stationery

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what levels of stock his Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

Elizabeth Truss: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

University Technical Colleges

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2014, Official Report, column 633W, on university technical colleges, if he will publish the information he plans to publish in June 2014 immediately.

Edward Timpson: The information previously requested will be published in the statistical first release ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2014’, in June 2014.
	This is in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Vocational Guidance

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to publish statutory guidance on careers advice.

Matthew Hancock: The revised statutory guidance “Careers guidance and inspiration in schools” was published on 10 April.
	Effective from September 2014, the guidance sets a clear framework for schools with a focus on preparation for work and high ambitions for every student. This important guidance will encourage schools to build links with employers to inspire and mentor pupils, helping them to develop high aspirations and realise their potential.
	Non-statutory departmental advice has also been published containing examples of schools that already offer innovative careers guidance.
	Copies of both documents have been placed in the House Library and can be found at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/careers-guidance-for-young-people-in-schools

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of levels of violence against women in Afghanistan.

Justine Greening: The UK Government shares the widespread concern about attacks and intimidation faced by Afghan women, including those who work to defend the rights and fundamental freedoms of others.
	Eliminating violence against women and girls is a strategic priority for DFID’s work in Afghanistan and a range of programmes are being implemented to directly tackle women’s violence and support women’s empowerment.

Bananas: Diseases

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what assessment the Government has made of the spread of Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race Four;
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking internationally to stem the spread of Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race Four.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID support international partners monitoring the disease’s spread. The UK is one of the largest funders of the international agriculture research consortium, the CGIAR (Group on International Agricultural Research). The CGIAR, FAO and national partners have established a task force to track the disease spread and to develop an effective response.
	In Mozambique, where a new outbreak of TR4 was reported November 2013, all sites where the disease was found have now been isolated, the affected plants destroyed, and appropriate phytosanitary measures have been put in place to prevent the disease from spreading. A consortium of partners, including the Mozambique Department of Agriculture, the CGIAR, Stellenbosch University, FAO and National Agricultural Research and Regulatory Organisations throughout Africa is being mobilised to address the outbreak, monitor plantations and raise awareness.

CDC

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the report of Parliamentary Ombudsman into the complaint raised by a constituent of the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion regarding her Department’s oversight of CDC Group Investments published in February 2014 and her letter of 19 November 2013 to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion stating that she would reply in full after the publication of the Ombudsman’s report, when she plans to make that full reply.

Justine Greening: I have replied to the hon. Member’s latest correspondence on this issue.

Consultants

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which 10 consultancy firms were paid the most by her Department in the last financial year; and how much each of those firms was paid.

Alan Duncan: The 10 consultancy firms paid the most by the Department for International Development in the last financial year, and how much each was paid; is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			 Company Amount (£) 
			 Computer Futures 79,334 
			 Mark McGivern 27,188 
			 Unit 4 14,806 
			 Kilcher Consultancy Limited 14,642 
			 Tam O'Neil 10,000 
			 Naina Patel 7,194 
		
	
	
		
			 Network of International Consultants in Health and Development 6,358 
			 Social Development Direct Ltd 6,048 
			 Aikan Uganda Limited 3,643 
			 Zodiak Broadcasting Station 3,480

Developing Countries: Agriculture

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support her Department gives to the World Economic Forum's New Vision for Agriculture.

Justine Greening: DFID does not provide financial support to the World Economic Forum's New Vision for Agriculture initiative.

Developing Countries: Females

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the Agreed Conclusions of the 58th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, if she will support the inclusion of a specific target on women's full, equal and effective participation in all fields and leadership at all levels of decision-making within the post-2015 development framework.

Lynne Featherstone: I am pleased that the Agreed Conclusions reached by member states at the 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) included a call for a dedicated goal on gender equality, women’s and girls’ empowerment and the human rights of girls and women. It also called for ending all forms of violence against women and girls; economic empowerment; leadership and participation in decision making; and ending harmful practice, including child, early and forced marriage, and female genital mutilation.
	The UK statement at the CSW highlighted the need for a dedicated goal on gender equality, and the empowerment of girls and women in the post-2015 framework. We are working with others across the international community, including civil society, to ensure that this is achieved.

Developing Countries: Food

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much support her Department is giving to the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition.

Justine Greening: The UK has committed a total of £600 million to the New Alliance for Food, Security and Nutrition. This includes £480 million in funding commitments made through Country Cooperation Frameworks; a £76 million contribution to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme and a further £44 million for enabling actions. The New Alliance was launched in May 2012 and the full £600 million will be spent by the end of 2018.

Developing Countries: Food

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how her Department measures the effect of support for the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition.

Justine Greening: Every DFID programme which is contributing to the New Alliance initiative is subject to DFID's annual review processes. In addition, this year, partner Governments will conduct their first annual reviews of the effects of the New Alliance at country level.

Developing Countries: Food

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support her Department gives to small-scale food producers in areas supported by the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition.

Justine Greening: DFID funding to New Alliance programmes is not disaggregated in the form requested, though much of the expenditure committed by DFID under the New Alliance includes programmes which specifically targets smallholder farmers.

Developing Countries: Food

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what conditions are placed on recipients of support from the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition.

Justine Greening: The New Alliance Co-operation Frameworks in each country outline mutual commitments of governments, the private sector and development partners and create an enabling environment for responsible investment.

Developing Countries: HIV Infection

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the overseas aid budget is being used to help combat the spread and treatment of HIV and Aids; and in which countries.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Government’s expenditure on HIV is provided through: UK Government contributions to multilateral and global initiatives that work on HIV prevention and treatment; HIV-specific bilateral projects and programmes; bilateral support to health systems and service delivery; and by supporting HIV related research.
	The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria is the principal mechanism the UK uses to finance our contribution to combat HIV. The UK has pledged up to £1 billion to the Global Fund over the next three years, of which around 50% will be spent on HIV. In 2012-13 the UK provided £90.4 million to HIV-specific bilateral projects and programmes, supporting HIV prevention and treatment in 17 countries and across a number of regional programmes. Further details of these projects and programmes are available in the 2013 review of the HIV Position Paper “Towards Zero Infections"
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/261341/Towards_Zero_Infections_-_Two_Years_On_22_November_FINAL_word_version.pdf
	Details of the total expenditure on health are published in Statistics on International Development (SID) which is available in the House Library or online at
	www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development

Developing Countries: Nutrition

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how much of the £32 million for the creation of a new catalytic fund, announced at the Nutrition for Growth summit, has been disbursed; [R]
	(2)  what progress she has made on the creation of the catalytic fund announced at the Nutrition for Growth summit; [R]
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2013, Official Report, column 568W, on catalytic fund, whether it has been agreed how the catalytic fund will function and who will be able to access funding; and if she will make a statement. [R]

Lynne Featherstone: The new catalytic financing mechanism will aim to provide incentives to attract new private funds alongside increased domestic budgets for high impact nutrition interventions. The scope and governance of the fund is being developed with the Children's Investment Fund Foundation. No funds have been disbursed. DFID will consider its own contribution once the mechanism and governance have been agreed.

Developing Countries: Satellites

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she has taken to ensure developing countries can access UK satellite technology to monitor local agricultural land and environmental risks; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID is supporting projects that use satellite data. DFID supports the World Agroforestry Centre to use data to help monitor and assess agriculture land use and environmental risks including land degradation. DFID contributes to the UK Environment Observations Framework Coordinating Climate Observations Group which co-ordinates Her Majesty's Government activities supporting the development and use of climate data, including from satellites.

Employment Agencies

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which five companies were used most often to provide temporary workers for her Department in the last financial year; and how much in agency fees was paid to each of them.

Alan Duncan: The following list details the five companies used most often to provide temporary workers for DFID in financial year 2013-14:
	1. Hays Specialist Recruitment Ltd
	2. Hudson Global Resources Ltd
	3. Anderson Knight Ltd
	4. Allegis Group Ltd
	5. Michael Page International
	It is not possible to disaggregate agency fees from the total payments made to these companies for the services of temporary staff.

Falkland Islands

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many UK construction companies are involved in development projects in the Falkland Islands.

Alan Duncan: The Falkland Islands are not eligible for official development assistance and the UK Government do not fund any development projects on the Falklands.

Lesotho

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects her Department has in Lesotho.

Lynne Featherstone: Lesotho does not receive any direct development funding from the UK, but does benefit through DFID’s Southern Africa Regional programmes. UK support to Lesotho is mainly delivered through Civil Society Organisations such as Gender Links, Commonwealth Business Council and Common Ground Initiative, a joint fund with Comic Relief.

Middle East

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many visits she made to the Jordan Valley in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Justine Greening: The former Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), visited the Jordan Valley in 2011.

Pacific Islands

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to her answer of 5 March 2014, Official Report, column 871, on Pacific Islands, how much support, and under what categories her Department gave indirectly to Pacific Island countries in 2013-14.

Alan Duncan: DFID may give aid indirectly to countries in the Pacific region if multilateral organisations in receipt of DFID core contributions give aid to countries there. It is not possible to directly track this funding to individual countries. To provide an indication of the destination of aid, the overall proportions of aid reported by the relevant multilateral agencies are used to impute a DFID contribution. The DFID imputed multilateral shares for the Pacific region in 2011-12 are set out in the following table. Figures for 2013-14 will not be available until autumn 2015.
	
		
			 Pacific Island Countries £000 
			 Cook Islands 88 
			 Fiji 0 
			 Kiribati 3,537 
			 Marshall Islands 4 
			 Micronesia, Fed. States 10 
			 Nauru 69 
			 Niue 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Palau 1 
			 Papua New Guinea 0 
			 Pitcairn Islands 0 
			 Samoa 1,444 
			 Solomon Islands 570 
			 Tokelau 2 
			 Tonga 4,393 
			 Tuvalu 1,399 
			 Vanuatu 264 
			 Wallis and Fortuna 0 
			 South Pacific Regional 0 
			 Oceania, regional 275 
			 Total Pacific 12,055

Private Sector

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many jobs have been transferred from the public to the private sector as a result of privatisations or outsourcing by her Department since May 2010.

Alan Duncan: No DFID jobs have been transferred to the private sector as a result of privatisation of outsourcing since May 2010.

Stationery

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what levels of stock her Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not hold information on stock levels. Stationery and other items, including printer cartridges, are ordered and distributed as and when required.

Tanzania

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how her Department plans to support the Tanzanian Government to ensure the effective implementation of the Literacy and Numeracy for All Children, pre and primary education age, in and out of school programme; [R]
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of out-of-school street children in Tanzania. [R]

Lynne Featherstone: DFID is the largest financier of the Global Partnership for Education and in Tanzania has supported the award of a £57 million grant to implement the “Literacy and Numeracy Education Support (LANES)” programme. LANES targets the acquisition of reading, writing and numeracy skills among children in and out of school, targeting especially the marginalised.
	DFID's programme in Tanzania provides major support to basic education. In 2013-14 £24 million of education sector budget support was provided directly to the Tanzanian government. In addition a £49 million programme of support commenced, to improve the overall quality of primary education in seven disadvantaged regions.

Uganda

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the implications of the Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda for the operation of UK aid in (a) the health sector and (b) other sectors in that country.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK ended Budget Support to the Ugandan Government following concerns about corruption last year. Our development programme continues to support poverty reduction and growth in Uganda.
	DFID is providing £16.3 million over four years to support an improved HIV prevention response in Uganda, which will include provision for specifically targeting Most At Risk Populations (MARPS). We also provide support through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. We are working with other donors and the Ministry of Health in Uganda to assess the likely impact of this legislation.

West Africa

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department has offered to countries in West Africa to help tackle the recent outbreak of the deadly form of the Ebola virus.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID continues to closely monitor the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa. DFID has committed $30,000 (£17,908) for infection control training and supplies in Liberia through UNICEF. In Sierra Leone, DFID is supporting Ebola sensitisation efforts in communities and through UNICEF has prepositioned medical supplies to districts on the Liberia and Guinea borders. We are also working with the Government of Sierra Leone on their Ebola Emergency Response Plan to help bridge critical funding gaps.
	In addition to our direct support, the UK funds a substantial share of contributions from the European Community Humanitarian Office, which has provided €1.4 million to the region to combat the recent outbreak.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the (a) median and (b) mean (i) annual and (ii) hourly salary is for (A) men and (B) women in Government-sponsored apprenticeship schemes; and what those figures were in each of the last five years.

Matthew Hancock: In 2012, the median gross hourly wage for an Apprentice in England was £6.09. The mean was £6.21. In 2011, the equivalent gross hourly wages were £5.83 and £5.80.
	For females, in 2011, the median gross hourly wage was £5.96 and the mean £5.88. In 2012, these were £6.19 and £6.23 respectively.
	For males, in 2011, the median gross hourly wage was £5.43 and the mean £5.71. In 2012, these were £5.93 and £6.19 respectively.
	Please note that the only available data we have for Apprenticeship Pay is for 2012 and 2011, from the two Apprenticeship Pay Surveys (APS). These surveys do not calculate an annual wage from the survey responses as the hours Apprentices work are variable. There was a pay survey conducted in 2007, but this is not considered to be comparable with the two later years.
	Source:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-pay-survey-2012

Apprentices

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to introduce customer service training in the apprenticeship programme.

Matthew Hancock: An apprenticeship is a job with an accompanying skills development programme designed by employers in the sector to meet the key requirements of the job role. In many cases this will include an aspect of customer service as many jobs recognise the importance of such skills and these will be reflected in the apprenticeship framework.
	More than 400 employers are involved in the development of new apprenticeship standards as part of our Trailblazers programme. Where they see customer service skills as crucial to an occupation, they will include these within the new employer-led standards.
	For individuals in jobs that are specific customer service roles there is a dedicated Customer Service Apprenticeship available.

Business

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many professional and business services special envoys have been appointed by his Department; and what the remit of those envoys is.

Michael Fallon: There are currently six appointed Business Ambassadors covering the Professional and Business Services Sector: Caroline Plumb—CEO FreshMinds, Alan Parker—Chairman Brunswick Group, Ruby McGregor-Smith CBE—CEO MITIE, Rona Fairhead CBE, Will Lawes—Senior Partner Freshfields Bruchaus Deringer and Steve Varley—UK Chairman and Managing Partner (UK and Ireland) EY.
	Business Ambassadors are appointed by the Prime Minister to act as advocates of the UK, promoting the UK’s excellence, economy, business environment and its reputation as the international trade and inward investment partner of choice.
	Business Ambassadors agree to undertake a programme of activities agreed with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) including, among others, holding events to promote UK businesses around the world, meeting overseas Ministers and inward missions; participating in trade missions; and providing insights into how UKTI can best deliver for business.

Business

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to Growth is Our Business: A Strategy for Professional and Business Services published in July 2013, what engagement plan for disseminating high value opportunity programme opportunities has been developed; and what opportunities have been identified within the professional and business services sector.

Michael Fallon: Through this strategy UKTI has invigorated its support for this vital sector including a sector-focused trade mission programme, new business ambassadors, a marketing plan, and a sharper focus on the High Value Opportunity (HVO) programme, to make sure professional and business services (PBS) businesses are aware of the export opportunities and are able to get involved. We are engaging with industry on how we maximise the impact of these activities and what more we can do to help. This has included discussions with businesses from this sector across the country and the devolved Administrations.
	Companies are able to find out more about HVO opportunities including a link to an opportunity map at
	https://www.gov.uk/high-value-opportunities

Business: Derbyshire

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses were registered in High Peak constituency in each of the last five years.

Michael Fallon: Companies House is only able to provide figures on the number of new companies it registered in each of these years by postcode area. As postcode areas can cross constituency boundaries, the figures below must be considered approximations.
	
		
			  Number of companies registered 
			 2009-10 15 
			 2010-11 35 
			 2011-12 33 
			 2012-13 28 
			 2013-14 17

Business: Regulation

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to reduce the regulatory burden on small businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has put in place a robust framework to reduce the burden of regulation on all businesses, particularly small business.
	In January 2011, we brought in the One-in, One-out rule. This required departments wanting to introduce new regulation which generated costs for business to first identify a corresponding cut in regulation elsewhere with the same value. In January 2013 this was increased to a more demanding One-In, Two-Out rule so that departments now need to find £2 of savings for every £1 cost they introduce. To date, as set out in the 7th Statement of New Regulation published on 17 December 2013, we have cut the annual cost of domestic regulation by £1.19 billion.
	We are also reducing the stock of regulation through the Red Tape Challenge, with over 3,000 regulations now having been identified to be scrapped or improved. When fully implemented, we expect that these changes will bring estimated annual savings to business of over £850 million.
	Specifically to help small business, in April 2011 we introduced a moratorium exempting micro and start-up businesses from new domestic regulation for three years. From 1 April 2014 this was extended to include small businesses (with up to 50 employees) through the introduction of the Small and Micro Business Assessment (SaMBA).
	Measures that this Department has introduced specifically to reduce the burden of regulation on small businesses include giving small and medium-sized enterprises the flexibility to determine the most appropriate set of accounting rules for them, along with flexibility in how they submit their company reports through regulatory changes to audit rules. We have also extended the qualifying period of unfair dismissal to two years and introduced a new employment status of employee shareholder.

Companies: Registration

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether information included in the registry of company beneficial ownership information will be available for free.

Jennifer Willott: Companies House is a Trading Fund and must recover the costs for the services it provides where there are clear identifiable costs. However, Companies House already provides a lot of company data for free, including company appointments. It is actively working to increase the amount of data available for free and company beneficial ownership information will form part of this ongoing strategy.

Companies: Registration

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether information included in the registry of company beneficial ownership information will be cross-checked against data held by (a) passport authorities, (b) vehicle licensing authorities, (c) electoral registers and (d) other databases.

Jennifer Willott: Companies House currently undertakes a range of checks across the breadth of documents delivered to them. In 2012-13 over 400,000 documents were rejected because they did not pass these checks.
	We are carefully considering whether any further reform is necessary, whilst ensuring the UK's company registration regime remains quick, simple and inexpensive. We do not however envisage that this would include cross-checking data against other sources of information.

Companies: Registration

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the registry of company beneficial ownership information will contain a description of how the beneficial owner exercises control over (a) a company, (b) names of the chain of companies that demonstrate a person is the beneficial owner and (c) any other means by which a person exercises control over a company.

Jennifer Willott: As outlined in the Government’s response to the Transparency and Trust discussion paper we are continuing to develop how details of the beneficial interest are to be recorded on the company’s register and at Companies House. We intend that this information will allow users of the register to build a meaningful picture of the company’s ownership and control structure.

Competition and Markets Authority

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprentices aged (a) 16 to 18, (b) between 19 and 24 and (c) 25 years or over are employed at the Competition and Markets Authority.

Matthew Hancock: The Competition and Markets Authority employs no apprentices at this time.
	As a supporter of apprenticeships, the Government launched the first Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship Scheme in 2013.
	As at September 2013, the most recent date for which figures are available, the Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship Scheme had 100 18-21 year old apprentices employed in permanent posts across government on the 2-year scheme.

Education: Finance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has commissioned into the effects of reducing funding to further, higher and adult education.

David Willetts: Changes to the Student Finance system weredesigned to meet the Government’s aims of increased dynamism and student choice. If the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) recurrent grant for teaching and the estimated fee income from students subject to regulated fees is combined, the overall Higher Education Institution resource from teaching actually rises from around £7.9 billion in 2011-12 to almost £8.5 billion in 2013-14. It has the potential to reach £9.9 billion in 2015-16 dependant on recruitment.
	BIS has asked HEFCE to monitor the impact of the Higher Education (HE) reforms introduced in 2012 to assess the effect of changes. In March 2013, HEFCE published their first update “Higher Education-Impact of the 2012 reforms”. This is available online at:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/about/intro/abouthighereducationinengland/impact/
	This was followed a year later by an updated report entitled “Higher Education in England 2014” published on 10 April 2014. This provides an overview of recent shifts and longer-term trends in publicly-funded higher education and considers possible further changes and continuities in the year ahead. This is available online at:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/heinengland/2014/
	Analysts in my Department also monitor the impact of any changes to funding methods for Higher Education using leading data on applications for places. The latest application figures published by UCAS in January 2014 show that young people have not been put off applying to university. The application rate for young people from England has risen to 34.8% this year, the highest ever.
	In Further Education, while the budget for adult skills has reduced, savings have been made in a way that protects the vulnerable and supports economic growth, ensuring that Government funding provides value for money. Overall funding for adult further education and skills is £4.1bn in 2014-15 financial year; of that £3.4bn will be granted to the Skills Funding Agency to support learners.
	Because of the reforms we have put in place, more learners are taught today than under the last policy:
	Over 1 million adult learners have participated in government-funded English and maths training in each of the last two years-higher than in previous years.
	In 2012/13, there were 973,000 learners participating in Full Level 2 courses (similar to 2008/09), and 495,000 learners participating in Full Level 3 courses (up 16.8% on 2008/09).
	There were 869,000 funded Apprentices participating in 2012/13 - almost double the number in 2008/09.
	Advanced Learning Loans have been successfully introduced, encouraging 60,000 people to apply to take training courses at Level 3 and above.
	An evaluation published in October 2013-based on a survey of nearly 500 colleges and providers-showed that there is strong support in the sector for the overall aims and objectives of the reforms. This report-'Further education and skills reform plan 'New Challenges, New Chances’: evaluation'-is published at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-and-skills-reform-plan-new-challenges-new-chances-evaluation

Exports

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the Government's progress in encouraging exports to emerging markets; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: UK exports of goods and services to Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRICs) reached £34.9 billion in 2013, their highest level since records began in 1999. In the Budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), highlighted rising exports, with combined goods exports to Brazil, India and China rising faster than those of the UK's competitors (France, Germany, Italy) in 2013, but said there was more to do.
	UK Trade & Investment's Britain Open for Business: The Next Phase (January 2014) underlined that:
	‘To deliver our ambitious trade and investment targets we are continuing vigorously to pursue opportunities in developed markets while strengthening our efforts in high growth markets’.
	The Chancellor has given UKTI additional funding to strengthen its support for high growth markets.
	Additionally, UK Export Finance (UKEF) is devoting additional resources to supporting High Value Opportunities. UKEF also has cover available for over 200 overseas markets and is increasing its product range to provide more effective support to Mid-Size Businesses (MSBs) and smaller companies.

Football

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an assessment of the recommendations contained in the Association of Business Recovery Professionals publication entitled Level Playing Field: SMEs, taxpayers, and the Football Creditors Rule.

Jennifer Willott: R3 has made some interesting recommendations which the football authorities should consider carefully. The football authorities have already made some changes, notably through agreeing "financial fair play" rules, salary caps and an early warning system for tax debts, as well as to governance arrangements, to increase financial stability in the leagues and to increase transparency for creditors.

Higher Education

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  when the Higher Education Funding Council for England plans to commence its annual monitoring exercise to collect information about the ongoing financial sustainability, quality of provision and changes to management and governance arrangements at alternative learning providers; and when that body plans to publish such information;
	(2)  when the Higher Education Funding Council for England will run its annual monitoring exercise to collect information about the ongoing financial sustainability, quality of provision, and changes to management and governance arrangements at alternative learning providers; and when the Higher Education Funding Council for England will publish this information.

David Willetts: The Department will publish guidance on the annual monitoring process and associated timetable in July 2014.

Higher Education

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any alternative learning providers have notified the Higher Education Funding Council for England of material changes which may affect their financial sustainability or quality of provision.

David Willetts: The requirement for providers to notify the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) of material changes which may affect their financial sustainability or quality of provision is a new condition that providers are required to meet after they have successfully applied to have courses designated under the under the new specific course designation arrangements. All alternative providers must go through the new process during the 2013/14 academic year. Of those providers that have already successfully applied none has yet notified HEFCE of material changes which may affect their financial sustainability or quality of provision.

Higher Education: Finance

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much in cash terms and what proportion of total university funding came from (a) domestic tuition fees, (b) foreign student fees, (c) public funding and (d) external sponsorship in the last year for which figures are available.

David Willetts: Information on the finances of English Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) is collected and published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). A summary of the income of publicly-funded HEIs in England from Home and EU Tuition Fees, Non-EU Tuition Fees, Public Funding and External Sponsorship has been provided in the table.
	
		
			 Income of publicly-funded higher education institutions1. English Higher Education Institutions. Academic year 2012/13 
			 Academic year Income (£ million) Share of total income (%) 
			 Total course fee income 10,142 41.7 
			 Of which:   
			 Home and EU Tuition Fees 6,479 26.6 
			 Non-EU Tuition Fees 2,997 12.3 
			 Other Tuition Fee Income2 666 2.7 
			 Public Funding3 8,580 35.3 
			 External Sponsorship4 5,598 23.0 
			 Total Income 24,320 100.0 
			 1 The University of Buckingham are the only non-publicly funded HEI to return financial data to HESA and their income has been omitted from the final figures. 2 Other Tuition Fee Income includes income received from FE Courses and Non-Credit bearing courses. 3 Public Funding refers to funding received from Funding Bodies, BIS Research Councils, UK Central Government, Local Authorities, Health and Hospital Authorities and EU Government Bodies. 4 External Sponsorship refers to income from non-public sources including research grants and other income from EU and UK industry, commerce and other corporations. Note: All figures are rounded to the nearest £ million and, as a result, columns may not total correctly. Source: HESA Finance Record

Land Registry

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much compensation was paid by the Land Registry following fraudulent registrations in each year since 2005.

Michael Fallon: Indemnity figures are published in Land Registry’s annual report and accounts and the information for the years requested is collated as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Indemnity paid due to fraud and forgery (£)1 
			 2005/06 9,834,617.73 
			 2006/07 2,123,496.34 
			 2007/08 3,953,378.02 
			 2008/09 5,074,113.43 
			 2009/10 4,947,650.06 
			 2010/11 7,367,416.18 
			 2011/12 7,190,094.82 
			 2012/13 5,101,916.00 
			 2013/14 7,209,713.53 
			 1 Substantive loss plus costs.

Magnox Reactors

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Energy and Climate Change about the local socio-economic effects of the Magnox nuclear sites before the award of the decommissioning contract on 31 March 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: This Department has not had any discussion with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) about the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s (NDA) competition to secure a new parent body organisation for Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Ltd. The NDA ran the competition in strict accordance with UK and EU procurement regulations. Oversight and governance of the process was provided by the NDA’s Competition Programme Board. The Government is represented by the Shareholder Executive (on behalf of DECC), HM Treasury and Infrastructure UK.

Maternity and Paternity Pay

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of statutory maternity and paternity pay to parents of premature and sick babies.

Jennifer Willott: The UK’s maternity leave provision is one of the most generous in the world; all employed women have a “day one” entitlement to 52 weeks of maternity leave. Mothers with 26 weeks qualifying service and meeting the earnings requirement are entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP). Those mothers who do not qualify for SMP may be entitled to Maternity Allowance. This means that expectant mothers and mothers can take time off work to prepare for and recover from childbirth and bond with their babies, and to deal with unexpected eventualities including ill health, premature births and any complications associated with sick babies.
	Through the Children and Families Act 2014, the Government is introducing a new system of shared parental leave which will give parents much more flexibility in how to use their leave entitlement. This flexibility will be particularly valuable to parents who have to deal with difficult or unexpected circumstances and it will allow parents, for the first time, to take leave together in a way that suits them. The system will be available for working parents whose baby is due on or after 5 April 2015 (irrespective of when the baby is born), and will be introduced later this year so that it catches babies who are born early.
	The Government has committed to explicitly considering the issues facing families with babies admitted to neonatal care within the context of the review that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has announced it will undertake on the review of changes to employment law enacted by the Children and Families Act after 2018.

Nuclear Installations

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department plans to provide to areas affected by changes to the nuclear decommissioning programme following the award of a new contract on 31 March 2014.

Michael Fallon: This Department, together with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), is fully committed to helping to deliver the Nuclear Industrial Strategy, including through the Nuclear Industry Council, on which the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) also sits. The announcement of the preferred bidder in the NDA’s parent body competition for Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Limited should not materially affect our support. The Cavendish Fluor Partnership brings a successful track record and extensive nuclear experience that will bring benefits to the decommissioning and clean-up programme. They are committed to developing the skills of the workforce and to meeting socio-economic responsibilities, as were all the bidders.
	This Department will continue to work with DECC, the NDA and the industry to ensure that decommissioning is achieved safely, to schedule, competitively and taking into account UK economic benefit.

Overseas Trade: Israel

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value of bilateral trade in agricultural goods and services between the UK and Israel was in each year since 2004.

Michael Fallon: Data on agricultural goods trade between UK and Israel in each year since 2004 is shown in the following table. Data on agriculture services trade is not available from official published sources.
	
		
			 UK trade in agricultural goods with Israel, 2004-13 
			 £ million 
			  UK exports to Israel UK imports from Israel Total bilateral trade 
			 2004 10 169 179 
			 2005 10 198 208 
			 2006 13 190 203 
			 2007 13 204 217 
			 2008 8 132 140 
			 2009 4 93 97 
			 2010 6 95 101 
			 2011 5 96 101 
			 2012 6 128 134 
			 2013 6 121 127 
			 Source: Eurostat (Comext), based on CPA 2008 (Classification of Products by Activity) code 01 “Products of Agriculture”-values converted from euros into £ using HMT Pocket Databank exchange rates (27 March 2014)

Overseas Trade: Republic of Ireland

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what joint trade missions have been undertaken by the UK and the Republic of Ireland since 2010; and what steps he is taking to increase collaboration with the Republic of Ireland on trade and exports.

Michael Fallon: The UK and Ireland have embarked on a wide programme of cooperation following the visit of HM the Queen to Ireland in 2011. Led by the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach, this programme is designed to develop and strengthen the relationship between the UK and Ireland over the next decade across a range of policy areas.
	The UK and Ireland delivered the first ever joint trade mission between the two countries to the Singapore Airshow during the week commencing 10 February 2014. The UK-Ireland mission delegation consisted of 25 companies, 16 from the UK (including nine from Northern Ireland) and nine from the Republic of Ireland. Delivering a joint trade mission was one of the key deliverables for the 2014 PM/Taoiseach Summit.
	UK Trade and Investment is committed to maintaining its work programme with Enterprise Ireland to further develop cooperation on trade promotion in support of UK and Irish business.

Regional Growth Fund: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many projects in Ashfield constituency have been selected to receive funding from the Regional Growth Fund in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many projects from Ashfield constituency have received final offer letters from the Regional Growth Fund in the latest period for which figures are available.

Michael Fallon: There was one round 4 Regional Growth Fund (RGF) project award from the Ashfield constituency. However, the postcode of the project has changed since and the project now falls under a different constituency.
	There are two awards made to RGF programmes to which small and medium-sized enterprises in the Ashfield constituency may bid.

Robotics

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research and development into the commercial application of robotics his Department funds; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: This Department has worked with the Technology Strategy Board’s (TSB) Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Special Interest Group to develop a National Strategy for robotics in the UK, which will identify commercial opportunities in key sectors of the Government’s Industrial Strategy.
	The Department and its partner organisations fund research and development into the commercial application of robotics as follows:
	BIS
	This Department is currently providing funding of £1.5m to support the development of autonomous road vehicles. The consortium (which includes Oxford and Cambridge Universities, the Transport Systems Catapult and other partners) will develop small pod-like vehicles capable of carrying up to two passengers and which will ultimately be capable of autonomous operations.
	BIS has previously funded a two year automation programme with the British Automation and Robot Association that ended in September 2013. The £600,000 programme over two years enabled the provision of a one day manufacturing review and diagnostic to small and medium-sized enterprises on the potential to apply robotics and automation in their businesses. The programme also provided the opportunity for more detailed interventions. Over 268 one day reviews were carried out, and more detailed interventions accounted for a further 282 days of advice.
	Research Councils
	The Research Councils current investment into research related to the commercial application of robotics is £36.5 million, which includes a £10 million investment through the Natural Environment Research Council into Marine Autonomous Systems.
	Technology Strategy Board
	The TSB is the prime channel through which Government supports business-led technology innovation. Since 2010 it has invested £8 million in robotics and robotics related projects, helping business develop and commercialise new products and services.
	The TSB is arranging an entrepreneur-led overseas delegation to the US in June 2014 to develop the UK’s brand in robotics and to engage with the rapidly growing robotics cluster in San Francisco and San Diego. This creates a real opportunity for UK robotics companies to capitalise on this growth and take a lead in integrating their technologies in a range of markets that could exploit them. The message behind the mission is that the UK is open for business and has innovative robotics companies that are interested in the US market and are ready to engage in dialogue, form partnerships and do business in the international arena.
	In addition, the Government (through TSB) has previously funded research and demonstration of civil Unmanned Aerial Vehicles through the £62 million ASTRAEA programme over the past seven years. The programme has made possible the ‘unmanned’ flight of a Jetstream 31 from Lancashire to Inverness, clocking up to 2,500 miles in flights between Lancashire and Inverness and around the Irish Sea.
	UK Space Agency
	The UK Space Agency encourages and supports companies and research organisations to spin-out technology developed through space exploration into non-space sectors. The funding provided by the Agency is for feasibility studies. The relevant studies funded are:
	the application of Mars rover autonomous navigation for large off road vehicles; and
	development of Auto-Resonant Control System.

Royal Mail

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what incentives were (a) offered to (b) accepted by priority investors in relation to Royal Mail privatisation.

Michael Fallon: No incentives were offered to priority investors.

Royal Mail

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  for which firms his Department has agreed bonus payments as part of the privatisation of Royal Mail; and on what criteria such payments were made;
	(2)  how many firms that advised his Department on the privatisation of Royal Mail were awarded a bonus payment.

Michael Fallon: No firms have received bonuses in relation to the sale of Royal Mail shares.

Royal Mail

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills who made the decisions and on what basis were the decisions made on how many shares would go to each priority investor, each institutional investor and each retail investor in respect of the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Michael Fallon: The Government set the overall allocation policy with the aim of getting the right balance between longer-term, stable investors, retail investors arid shorter-term investors who provide liquidity in the market.
	Allocations were made to a number of institutions who in the early stages of engagement were willing to place non-binding orders despite the risks attached to the IPO such as the industrial relations situation. These investors gave us confidence that there was sufficient demand to proceed with the IPO.
	We had nearly three-quarters of a million retail applications so their allocations were scaled back as they were for institutional investors. Given this high demand, Ministers decided to prioritise smaller investors and put in place a cut-off above £10,000 and give everyone below that the same number of shares. Around 95% of retail investors were allocated shares.

Small Businesses: Derbyshire

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small businesses in High Peak constituency have received support from the Regional Growth Fund.

Michael Fallon: We do not hold the information requested. However, businesses in High Peak constituency are eligible to bid to the Regional Growth Fund programme administered by Derbyshire county council as well as national programmes.

Students: Loans

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what he expects the RAB charge to be for extra students entering higher education when the present cap on student numbers is removed in 2014-15.

David Willetts: We produce a single RAB charge that is an estimate of the overall cost of issuing loans to students. This charge is currently around 45% for full time students. Similarly, a single RAB charge will be applied to all students entering higher education in 2014-15.

Students: Loans

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will break down by component elements the increase in the RAB charge from 33 per cent to 45 per cent.

David Willetts: The increase in the RAB charge has been due to:
	Macroeconomic effects-earnings growth has been lower than expected since the £21,000 threshold was set making it more generous in real terms than was expected at the time it was set; and
	Modelling changes-we have made methodological improvements to our modelling of individual borrower's earnings over time. We have done this through a new approach that takes greater account of an individual's past earnings and of Student Loans Company data on actual loan repayments.

Students: Loans

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of student loans issued under the (a) pre-2012 and (b) new funding system that will be fully written off.

David Willetts: Our model is designed to estimate aggregate repayments across the full range of borrowers. It does not estimate outcomes at the individual level, such as the probability of an individual’s loan balance being fully written off.
	However, Student Loans Company data for early pre-2012 cohorts show that around 10% of the cohorts up to 2005 have made no repayments since taking out their loans.

Students: Loans

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department's estimate is of the latest RAB charge for part-time students.

David Willetts: The current estimate for the resource accounting and budgeting charge for part-time students is 65%.

Students: Loans

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the student loan default rate is for students and graduates of (a) Bristol, (b) Cambridge, (c) Durham, (d) Exeter, (e) Leeds, (f) Manchester and (g) Oxford Universities.

David Willetts: Information on the repayment status of student loans is available in the Student Loans Company (SLC) publication ‘Income Contingent Repayments by Repayment Cohort and Tax Year’, which is available at the following link:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/media/589346/slcosp012013.pdf
	Institution-specific information is not published and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Students: Loans

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what revenue the Government received through student loan repayments in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

David Willetts: Information on the repayment of student loans is published in the Statistical First Release “Student Loans for Higher Education in England”. The latest publication is available at the following link.
	http://www.slc.co.uk/statistics/national-statistics/newnationalstatistics2.aspx
	The amounts repaid via HMRC through Pay As You Earn (PAYE) or directly to Student Loans Company (SLC) in the financial years 2009-10 to 2012-13 have been provided in the table. The statistics include repayments made on outstanding debt from both Mortgage Style and Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) loans.
	Statistics referring to the financial year 2013-14 will be published in June 2014.
	
		
			 Student loan repayments financial years 2009-10 to 2012-13 
			 £ million 
			  Financial year 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Repaid directly by customer to SLC 302.2 326.5 294.6 256.9 
			 Reported by HMRC as collected via PAYE and Self-Assessment 726.4 850.0 1,044.9 1,185.3 
			 Refunded by SLC to customer -18.8 -33.6 -33.6 -35.5 
			 Total amount repaid, including interest, during the financial year 1,009.7 1,143.0 1,305.9 1,406.8 
			 Notes: 1. Repayments are shown in the financial year when they are posted to customer accounts. The SLC are notified of repayments by HMRC, usually within one year of the end of the tax year to which they relate. 2. Refunds can occur when an account holder has overpaid SLC in previous financial periods for various reasons. Source: “Statistical First Release Student Loans for Higher Education in England”

Trade Promotion

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to Growth is Our Business: A Strategy for Professional and Business Services published in July 2013, if the new envoy network has been convened through UK Trade & Investment; and what progress his Department has made in orchestrating a mission programme.

Michael Fallon: In line with the commitment in “Growth is Our Business” to invite leading business people from professional and business services (PBS) to act as sector envoys whilst travelling abroad, several individuals were approached to join the Prime Minister's list of Business Ambassadors. Appointments of four new PBS Business Ambassadors were announced in January 2014. These were Ruby McGregor-Smith CBE (Chief Executive Officer MITIE), Rona Fairhead CBE, Steve Varley (UK Chairman and Managing Partner (UK and Ireland) of Ernst and Young) and Will Lawes (Senior Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer). They joined Caroline Plumb (Chief Executive Officer, FreshMinds), Alan Parker (Chairman, Brunswick Group), who were already active.
	Business Ambassadors agree to undertake a programme of activities agreed with UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) including holding events to promote UK businesses around the world, meeting overseas Ministers and inward missions, participating in trade missions and providing insights into how UKTI can best deliver for business.

Trade Promotion

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to Growth is Our Business: A Strategy for Professional and Business Services published in July 2013, whether his Department is on course to run at least two professional and business services dedicated trade missions each year; and what such missions have taken place since the Strategy was published.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is developing professional and business services dedicated trade missions to North America, South America, South East Asia and India this year. These missions will complement other planned trade missions open to this sector, for example the business delegations which accompany the Lord Mayor of London's overseas visits.
	UKTI delivered a professional services event in Russia with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment and the Royal Society of Chartered Surveyors in November 2013.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Africa

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has updated its advice given to UK nationals in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, South Sudan and Gabon or who are considering visiting those countries following the recent outbreak of Ebola in the region.

Mark Simmonds: We have updated our travel advice for the following countries to notify travellers about the recent outbreak of Ebola virus disease: Guinea, Senegal, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania and Cote d’Ivoire.
	https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
	We advise people travelling to the affected region to check the health advice issued by the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC).
	http://www.nathnac.org/ds/map_world.aspx
	We will continue to monitor the situation in each country to ensure that our travel advice is up to date and accurate.

Argentina

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has made any assessment of the appointment of former Senator Daniel Filmus as head of the Malvinas Secretariat in Argentina.

Hugo Swire: We do not judge that Mr Filmus’ appointment marks a significant change in Argentina’s policy towards the Falkland Islanders. Rather we understand that Mr Filmus is accountable to Foreign Minister Hector Timerman, who retains overall responsibility for Falklands policy within the Argentine Foreign Ministry.

Baltic States

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Latvia, (b) Lithuania and (c) Estonia about strengthening defence and security relationships with those countries.

David Lidington: On 24-25 March 2014, I travelled to both Latvia and Lithuania and met with the Latvian Prime Minister, Defence Minister and Foreign Minister, and the Lithuanian Foreign Minister and Vice-Minister of Defence. The focus of this visit was the situation in Ukraine. I will visit Estonia on 28-29 April and hope to meet the Estonian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, with whom I will discuss security and defence issues. Our defence relationship, led by the Ministry of Defence, with all three Baltic countries is strong and we co-operate on a wide range of areas.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had about the British Indian Ocean Territory resettlement feasibility study.

Mark Simmonds: The feasibility study has now begun in earnest and the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Administration continue to welcome views on it. Since the summer of 2013, BIOT officials have carried out three consultations, receiving responses from all major groups representing Chagossians and others with an interest. There will be further key consultation as the study progresses. We have also consulted with the Governments of the United States, Seychelles and Mauritius.
	In November, the Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi, reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to look at this issue transparently in response to the Chagos Islands (BIOT) All Party Parliamentary Group’s (APPG) debate in the House of Lords. I have exchanged several letters with the Chair of the Chagos Islands (BIOT) APPG about the study and I have also discussed the study with the Mauritian Foreign Minister during a meeting at the African Union Summit in January. I subsequently wrote to the Mauritian Foreign Minister inviting the Mauritian Government’s engagement, which they have declined.

Burma

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 139W, on Burma, what commitments the Burmese immigration minister made on conduct of the census.

Hugo Swire: On 26 March, I spoke to Immigration Minister U Khin Yi, reminding him of the Burmese Government’s assurance that all individuals would have the right to self-identify their ethnicity and that international observers would be allowed to monitor the census across the country. I also made clear that the census must have adequate security. The Immigration Minister acknowledged our concerns.
	We are pleased that international observers were invited to monitor the enumeration process across the country. However we were deeply disappointed that the Burmese government went against its long-standing assurances on census conduct, in particular the right to self-identify ethnicity. The Burmese ambassador was summoned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 7 April, where I made clear that this decision was in contravention of international norms and standards on census conduct.

Burma

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Burma on protecting Burmese soldiers who refuse orders which could result in human rights abuses.

Hugo Swire: During my second visit to Burma in January, I personally pressed the Burmese Government and members of the Burmese military, including the Burmese Commander in Chief, to address our human rights concerns. I was also fortunate to visit Kachin State in January—the first British Minister to do so since Burma gained independence. I made clear to the Government and the military that conflict should end and that there should be unhindered humanitarian access to the areas affected. I also raised our concerns about very serious allegations of sexual violence in conflict and the forced conscription of child soldiers.
	While I did not discuss the issue of soldiers refusing orders which could result in human rights abuses, a discussion of the nature of illegal orders featured during the Managing Defence in a Wider Security Context course, delivered by the UK Defence Academy in Burma in January. The 30 course participants were a mix of mid-ranking military officers, members of the police and officials from Burma’s foreign ministry.

Colombia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Colombian government on human rights and the deaths of striking agricultural workers.

Hugo Swire: The UK is fully engaged on a range of human rights issues in Colombia. The UK’s priority areas include access to justice, support to human rights defenders, work to prevent sexual violence against women and encouraging business to implement human rights protocols in their operations. The British embassy continues to monitor and raise human rights issues with the Colombian Government. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and Deputy Prime Minister both raised human rights with President Santos during their separate visits to Colombia in February.
	In June 2013, the British embassy in Bogota met with representatives of peasant associations and civil society and requested that the Colombian government initiate dialogue and investigate the alleged excessive use of force during the social protests involving striking agricultural workers in Catatumbo. The British embassy also raised concerns with the Finance Minister, Defence Minister and the Head of the Colombian police.
	On 17 March 2014, senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials in the UK also met with the visiting Colombian Vice-Fiscal, General, Jorge Perdomo, and discussed the progress made in the investigations into the deaths of the striking agricultural workers. They also discussed the reform of the Criminal Justice System, which would ensure the protection of fundamental human rights and the human rights situation in Colombia.
	Most recently on 9 April 2014, senior FCO Officials in the UK and the British Embassy in Colombia discussed the Colombia chapter in the FCO’s 2013 Annual Human Rights Report, in which we raised the need for conclusive investigations into members of the security forces accused of excessive use of force during the protests of June to August 2013.

Commonwealth

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the UK’s trade in (a) exports and (b) imports for (i) goods, (ii) services and (iii) current accounts was with each Commonwealth country between 1988 and 2014.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated April 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the UK’s trade in (a) exports and (b) imports for (i) goods, (ii) services and (iii) current accounts was with each Commonwealth country between 1988 and 2014.
	Geography tables for the UK balance of payments are produced annually and the most recent publication covering 2002 to 2012 within Chapter 9 of the UK Balance of Payments Pink Book can be found at the link below.
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bop/united-kingdom-balance-of-payments/2013/rft-part-3--chapter-9-tables--geographical-breakdown-of-the-current-account.xls
	These tables cover a range of countries based on internationally agreed regulations. Estimates for Australia, Canada, Cyprus, India, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore and South Africa are available. Estimates for other Commonwealth countries will be included in the relevant aggregations for example Sri Lanka is part of ‘Asia-Other’, but are not available separately.

Commonwealth

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to promote freer trade (a) between the UK and other Commonwealth countries, (b) between Commonwealth countries and the EU and (c) amongst Commonwealth countries in Africa, the Pacific and the Caribbean.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The European Commission leads on trade negotiations on behalf of the EU and its member states. The UK is a strong advocate of the EU’s ambitious trade agenda and has supported the pursuit of comprehensive trade agreements with several Commonwealth countries. Negotiations on free trade agreements with Canada and Singapore are close to finalisation, we are the EU’s strongest champion of a trade agreement with India, and a joint declaration between EU leaders and the Prime Minister of New Zealand last month paves the way to potential trade negotiations between the EU and New Zealand starting under the next European Commission.
	The UK strongly supports economic partnership agreements (EPAs) between the EU and seven regions across Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific. EPAs are in place with Papua New Guinea, the Caribbean, Mauritius and Seychelles, and we are working towards further agreements in west, east and southern Africa which will include several Commonwealth members. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malawi and Nigeria are among the countries that benefit from trade preferences granted unilaterally to developing countries by the EU. The UK argued strongly in favour of these, and as a result, Pakistan recently benefited from valuable additional EU trade access. In a move that promotes freer trade among Commonwealth members, the EU allows preferential market access to be retained even when production and processing is shared between developing countries.
	The UK is also an active supporter of the Commonwealth Business Council which works to increase trade and prosperity across the Commonwealth.

Dmitry Firtash

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if he will list all meetings Dmitry Firtash has had at his Department since May 2010;
	(2)  who Dmitry Firtash met at his Department on 24 February 2014;
	(3)  what was on the agenda for the meeting with Dmitry Firtash at his Department on 24 February 2014;
	(4)  if he will publish a note of the meeting with Dmitry Firtash at his Department on 24 February 2014;
	(5)  whether matters of national security were discussed with Dmitry Firtash at the meeting at his Department on 24 February 2014.

David Lidington: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials met Dmitry Firtash on 24 February to discuss developments in Ukraine and support for Ukraine from the international community. They did not discuss matters of national security. The meeting was part of a wider approach by the FCO to understand better the situation in Ukraine, by seeking information and views from a wide range of contacts, including senior business figures. The Government does not have plans to publish a note of the meeting at this time. According to our records, Dmitry Firtash has not attended any other meetings with the FCO in London.

Employment Agencies

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which five companies were used most often to provide temporary workers for his Department in the last financial year; and how much in agency fees was paid to each of them.

David Lidington: All contingent labour (provision of temporary workers) procured by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is provided by Hayes Specialist Recruitment. In the last financial year (2013-14) £476,000 was paid to Hays in agency fees.

Falkland Islands

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with UK companies to encourage them to take part in construction and development projects in the Falkland Islands.

Hugo Swire: The hon. Member will be aware that responsibility for the promotion of business and trade opportunities in an Overseas Territory belongs to the Government of that Territory: in this case the Falkland Islands Government (FIG). We understand that FIG is planning to revise its Economic Development Strategy in the coming months to provide for the future development of all sectors of the Falkland Islands economy, and that they actively welcome the interest of UK companies. FIG itself would be best placed to provide the hon. Member with further details.
	As noted in the Overseas Territories White Paper of 2012, the UK is strongly committed to supporting British companies who wish to do business in the Territories. The investment opportunities in the Overseas Territories were highlighted in November last year as part of the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC), with a half day Investment Forum at which over 150 businesses attended. A similar event is planned as part of the JMC programme for this year.

Falkland Islands

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage businesses in the fishing sector to operate in the Falkland Islands.

Hugo Swire: The hon. Member will be aware that responsibility for the promotion of business and trade opportunities in the Falkland Islands, including in the fishing sector, lies with the Falkland Islands Government (FIG). FIG itself would be the best source of further information as it has responsibility for fishing policy, licence applications and most other maritime matters in the Islands.
	As noted in the Overseas Territories White Paper of 2012, the UK is strongly committed to supporting British companies who wish to do business in the Territories. The investment opportunities in the Overseas Territories were highlighted in November last year as part of the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC), with a half day Investment Forum at which over 150 businesses attended. A similar event is planned as part of the JMC programme for this year.

Falkland Islands

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage businesses in the construction sector to build houses in the Falkland Islands.

Hugo Swire: The hon. Member will be aware that the primary responsibility for the promotion of business and trade opportunities in the Falkland Islands, including in the construction sector, lies with the Falkland Islands Government (FIG). FIG itself would be the best source of further information on construction in the Islands as it has responsibility for all infrastructure development.
	As noted in the Overseas Territories White Paper of 2012, the UK is strongly committed to supporting British companies who wish to do business in the Territories. The investment opportunities in the Overseas Territories were highlighted in November last year as part of the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC), with a half day Investment Forum at which over 150 businesses attended. A similar event is planned as part of the JMC programme for this year.

Falkland Islands

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to help workers in the oil industry to seek employment in the Falkland Islands.

Hugo Swire: The hon. Member will understand that employment in the oil industry is primarily a commercial matter for the companies involved. However, the UK Government offers advice and support to those people and companies who wish to avail themselves of the varied economic opportunities in the Falkland Islands.

Falkland Islands

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response he plans to make to the statement of the President of Argentina on 2 April that the UK was keeping NATO's most powerful armed bases in the Falklands and that this included a nuclear attack submarine.

Hugo Swire: The British ambassador in Buenos Aires has conveyed our disappointment to the Argentine Deputy Foreign Minister that the President of Argentina once again repeated her unfounded claims about the UK military presence in the South Atlantic on the very anniversary of Argentina’s illegal invasion of the Falkland Islands which tragically led to so many deaths on both sides. Claims that the Falklands is a “military nuclear base for NATO in the South Atlantic”, or represents a military threat to the region are obviously untrue: The UK’s military presence on the Falkland Islands is purely defensive in nature and the number of UK forces has declined to the minimum necessary to defend the Islands.
	With regard to nuclear weapons, the UK's position is clear. The United Kingdom ratified the protocols to the Nuclear Weapons Free Zone covering Latin America and the Caribbean (the Treaty of Tlatelolco) in 1969, and it fully respects these obligations. The UK position on its deterrent is unambiguous and well known: the UK will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapons states parties to, and in compliance with, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Iceland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Icelandic counterpart on strengthening UK-Icelandic business relations.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), met both the Icelandic Prime Minister, Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, and Foreign Minister, Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, in London in September and November 2013 respectively. They discussed a range of topics, including the increasingly strong and productive trade relationship between the UK and Iceland.
	The UK remains committed to a robust commercial relationship with Iceland, and there are many lucrative areas of trade and investment that we continue to cooperate on closely, such as fish-processing in Humberside and the proposed IceLink electricity interconnector.

Iran

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will call for the immediate release of the seven Baha'i leaders imprisoned in Iran since 14 May 2008.

Hugh Robertson: We have repeatedly expressed concern at the sentencing of seven Baha'i leaders in Iran to 20 years imprisonment. We raised the treatment of Baha’is with the UN Special Rapporteur at the UN Human Rights Council in March 2014, and in our contacts with the Iranian authorities. We will continue to call on the Iranian Government to ensure that all Iranian citizens are able to exercise their right to freedom of religion, free from persecution and harassment.

Iran

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Iranian authorities about the persecution and detention of members of the Bahá'í faith in that country.

Hugh Robertson: We have repeatedly expressed our concern at the treatment of the Baha’i community in Iran, including the sentencing of seven Baha'i leaders in Iran to 20 years imprisonment and the regular harassment the community suffers from. We raised the treatment of Baha’is with the UN Special Rapporteur at the UN Human Rights Council in March 2014, and in our contacts with the Iranian authorities. We will continue to call on the Iranian government to ensure that all its citizens are able to exercise their right to freedom of religion, free from persecution and harassment.

Iran

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his German and US counterparts on securing the unconditional release of Pastor Saeed Abedini from prison in Iran.

Hugh Robertson: We remain deeply concerned about the detention and treatment of Pastor Saeed Abedini. We have called publicly for the Iranian Government to release him and to end all persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith. We have not discussed this particular case with German or US officials, but discuss regularly with them action we can take to improve human rights in Iran.

Laos

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Laos about the persecution of Christians in that country.

Hugo Swire: Our recently reopened embassy in Vientiane regularly raises human rights concerns with the Lao Government, including their adherence to their international human rights commitments that protect freedom of religion and belief. Laos has seen some improvements in religious freedom over the past decade with a reduction in the number of long-term Christian prisoners of conscience. However, we are aware of cases of Christians being arrested for proselytising. The EU raised these cases at the last EU-Laos Human Rights Dialogue in February 2013 and we will press for it to be raised at the next EU-Laos Human Rights Dialogue which will take place in Brussels in May 2014. We continue to work with the EU and other like-minded partners to raise our concerns about religious freedom with the Lao Government.

Lesotho

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK Government Ministers have visited Lesotho since 2010.

Mark Simmonds: I visited Lesotho in March 2013 as part of a larger tour of the Southern African region. My visit to Lesotho was the first bilateral ministerial visit to the Kingdom since 2002. I was delighted that the Prime Minister of Lesotho was able to visit the UK between 4-9 April, further strengthening bilateral relations and the ongoing links between our two countries. The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), and I both enjoyed meeting the Prime Minister of Lesotho during his visit to the UK.

Middle East

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of (a) Palestinians and (b) Jews displaced from their country of origin in the Middle East since 1984.

Hugh Robertson: We have not made an estimate on this issue and do not keep records of this type.

North Korea

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in North Korea on freedom of religion.

Hugo Swire: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has never met his Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) counterpart.
	However, the UK takes every opportunity to raise with the DPRK authorities our concerns about their appalling human rights record, not least with regard to freedom of religion or belief. The British embassy in Pyongyang last raised our concerns with the DPRK Ministry of Foreign Affairs in March 2013. A senior official in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office raised this issue with the North Korean embassy in February 2014.
	We have also raised concerns specifically about recent reports that 33 people have been sentenced to death for alleged contact with Kim Jung-wook (aka Kim Jong-uk), a South Korean arrested by the DPRK authorities last year on suspicion of trying to establish underground churches. We have requested official confirmation of what has happened to the individuals concerned and called on the DPRK to respect the provision in its constitution guaranteeing “freedom of belief in religion”. We also played a leading role in securing a strong resolution at the UN Human Rights Council, calling for accountability for the range of human rights violations documented in the DPRK.
	The annual FCO human rights report, published on 10 April 2014 includes the DPRK as a country of concern. The full report can be found at
	http://www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk

Occupied Territories

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Israel regarding plans for the creation of a new settlement in the Old City of Hebron.

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend, the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), issued a statement on 17 April 2014 condemning the Israeli decision to create a new settlement in Hebron.

Official Visits

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what the country of origin was of each special mission to the UK that has been refused since 4 March 2013; and what were the grounds for each refusal;
	(2)  whether he would refuse to consent to a special mission on (a) human rights grounds and (b) where the person in question has been the subject of a UK judicial arrest warrant, European Arrest Warrant or similar judicial process;
	(3)  what the country of origin was of each special mission to the UK since 4 March 2013; and whether any person travelling on a special mission to the UK has been the subject of (a) an arrest warrant or (b) a criminal investigation conducted by SO15 since 4 March 2013;
	(4)  pursuant to the written statement of 4 March 2013, Official Report, columns 55-6WS, on special mission immunity, how many special missions have been (a) consented to and (b) refused under the pilot process; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: I refer to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), to the House on 4 March 2013, Official Report, columns 55-56WS. The Secretary of State announced a new process by which we would be informed of visits that may qualify for special mission status. The pilot process has improved the process for communicating and decision-making in respect of visits that may qualify for special mission status. Since the pilot's inception, we have received six such requests. There are no requests outstanding.
	The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), confirmed to the House on 12 July 2013, Official Report, columns 427W and 429W, that two of the requests which were granted, related to visits by Lieutenant General Benny Gantz of the Israeli Defence Forces and Doron Almog, Prime Minister Netanyahu's Chief of Staff for Bedouin Status improvement. In view of the confidentiality of diplomatic exchanges, we have no plans to publish further details about requests that have been granted or refused. But if those applying for special mission status wish to announce the details of their visit to the UK, they are of course at liberty to do so.
	All applications for special mission status are considered carefully in view of both obligations incumbent upon the UK under customary international law and our policy of ending impunity for the most serious of international crimes and a commitment to the protection of human rights. Above this, it is for the courts to decide on the legal consequences of any decision to grant special mission status.

Overseas Trade

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure UK embassies, high commissions and consulates are promoting trade with the UK.

Hugo Swire: Over the past three years we have put commercial and economic diplomacy at the heart of the FCO’s agenda. We are committed to supporting British business and boosting UK trade as set out in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) Charter for Business and UKTI’s Strategy “Britain Open for Business: the Next Phase”.
	We have opened new missions and reinforced our economic diplomacy staff in many of the fastest growing markets in the world. We have taken steps to strengthen commercial skills at all levels within our embassies. Ambassadors and their teams across our network are lobbying hard to open markets, promote free trade, support pro-growth policies and counter risks to economic stability. This approach lies at the heart of our G8 agenda on tax, trade and transparency and underpins our ongoing work to deliver an ambitious EU-US trade deal.
	With UKTI we are delivering a number of ambitious initiatives across the globe to promote trade and investment and boost jobs and growth. The High Value Opportunities programme aims to assist UK businesses to secure £10 billion of business in key emerging markets. The Prime Minister has appointed 16 trade envoys who are working with our embassies and high commissions to champion opportunities for British business and lobby to improve the business environment and resolve market access issues.
	Our Posts are also promoting Britain through the “Great” campaign—a visually powerful campaign that is making real strides in promoting the UK as a modern and innovative country in which to invest and with which do business. Ministers have been urged to travel extensively to support this. We are focusing our efforts on both established markets and those emerging markets where there is high potential for growth in the future.
	The FCO and UKTI are also committed to implementing the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee review: Supporting British Exporters Overseas (see Treasury Minute CM 8847—37th report), a key component in the Government’s ambition to achieve £1 trillion of exports annually by 2020. We have committed to an economic ‘roadmap’ to the £1 trillion target, closer joint working on our trade and investment strategy and on planning across government, and work to address visa barriers to trade and investment.

Pakistan

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of Pakistan expressing disapproval of the recent decision in that country to prosecute a nine month old child for planning a murder.

Hugh Robertson: This is a matter for the Pakistani authorities. However, I am pleased to hear that charges against the child have now been dismissed by a judge.

Pakistan

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Pakistan government on the case of Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar who have been sentenced to death for allegedly sending a text message regarding the prophet Mohamed.

Hugh Robertson: I am concerned to hear about the case of Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar and the imposition of the death penalty on them. We regularly raise the issue of blasphemy laws, and their misuse against both Muslims and religious minorities, at the highest levels in Pakistan. We have consistently pressed the Government of Pakistan on the issue of the death penalty and our principled opposition to it in all cases and we will continue to raise both these issues with the Government of Pakistan.

Palestinians

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of 10 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank who were murdered by the Israeli military in March 2013.

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office receives various reports throughout the year on the issues affecting Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, this includes reports, from credited and un-credited sources, on Palestinians killed by the Israel Defence Forces.

Palestinians

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli government regarding the distribution of water between Palestinians and settlers in the west bank.

Hugh Robertson: Officials from our embassy in Tel Aviv most recently raised the issue of water distribution in the west bank with the Israeli Office for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) on 22 April 2014.

Private Sector

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many jobs have been transferred from the public to the private sector as a result of privatisations or outsourcing by his Department since May 2010.

Hugh Robertson: Comprehensive information on all outsourcing activities and the number of jobs involved is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Russia

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the Russian annexation of Crimea on the Moldovan government's commitment to signing an Association Agreement with the EU.

David Lidington: The Government of the Republic of Moldova began to negotiate an Association Agreement with the EU in January 2010. Negotiations concluded in June 2013 and the text was initialled at the Vilnius Eastern Partnership Summit in November 2013. Throughout this period, the Moldovan Government has been clear in its wish to achieve signature of the Association Agreement as early as possible. This position has not changed in recent weeks.
	The Conclusions of the European Council held on 20 and 21 March 2014 confirmed the aim of the EU to sign the Association Agreement no later than June 2014. The UK is working with our European partners to ensure the conditions are in place to meet this deadline, including through the appropriate parliamentary scrutiny.
	The UK supports Moldova’s choice of European integration, which will help to bring greater stability, prosperity and democracy to all Moldovan citizens. We have been clear in dealing with Russia that Moldova should be able to make its own choices, including on European integration, without pressure from third countries.

Russia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with representatives from the European Commission on European sanctions on Russia.

David Lidington: As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), told the House on 8 April 2014, Official Report, column 101, we are gravely concerned about the situation in Crimea and in the east of Ukraine. We have consistently condemned Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea including in public statements, international fora and in bilateral contacts with the Russian Federation.
	The UK has played a key role in ensuring a tough and united response from the international community. We have reviewed all bilateral engagement with Russia and have frozen military co-operation, refused export licence requests which may be used by the Russian military, and postponed a number of planned ministerial summits. Along with other G7 members, the UK has withdrawn participation in the planned G8 summit in Sochi in June, and will instead take part in a G7 meeting in Brussels.
	The Foreign Secretary has taken part in a number of discussions on sanctions at the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), in which the European Commission has also been involved. On 14 April, the FAC agreed to expand the second tier of sanctions and to add further names to the list of individuals subject to those sanctions. The FAC agreed on the urgency of completing work on a possible third tier of more far-reaching sanctions, which might be implemented in the absence of meaningful diplomatic engagement by Russia or further provocation against Ukraine. The European Commission was tasked to identify such economic measures.
	As the Foreign Secretary has made clear to the Russian Foreign Minister, the EU remains prepared to impose additional sanctions should that become necessary. Russia should be clear that any deliberate escalation of this crisis may bring serious political and economic consequences.

Russia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for the UK of international sanctions against Russia.

David Lidington: The effect of sanctions so far imposed by the EU is on individuals from Crimea and Russia most closely involved in violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The EU has been clear that it would move to impose a package of wider economic sanctions if there is a lack of progress on the diplomatic front and further moves by Russia against Ukraine. Such measures would have consequences for the UK’s commercial relationship with Russia, and for those of other EU member states, but the clear aim would be to demonstrate to Russia that there are wider consequences for its actions in Ukraine, while minimising the impact on the EU.

Scandinavia

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Norway, (b) Finland and (c) Sweden about the security situation in the Scandinavian region.

David Lidington: We have a strong and regular dialogue with Norway, Finland and Sweden on security and defence issues at both ministerial and official level, bilaterally and in the context of regional groupings such as the EU and NATO. In the past year, I have met with my counterparts, and a number of Government officials, from each of Norway, Finland and Sweden, as well as the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister and Finnish Prime Minister.

Syria

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the security and humanitarian situation in Kessab.

Hugh Robertson: We remain deeply concerned about the safety of all in Kessab and in all areas affected by the conflict. We believe that the majority of Kessab’s inhabitants, including most of the ethnic Armenian population, left the town because of fighting in the area. They join the more than 9 million Syrians of all faiths and ethnicities who have been driven from their homes by the ongoing conflict.

Syria

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Turkish government on the security and humanitarian situation in Kessab.

Hugh Robertson: We have regular discussions with the Turkish authorities regarding the appalling situation in Syria. We work closely with Turkey to coordinate the substantial humanitarian effort in the region and we welcome their assistance in facilitating aid delivery. Turkey is also a valued security partner of the UK. We work closely with Turkey to restrict the ability of foreign fighters to cross into Syria. We will continue to engage with Turkey on these important topics.

Syria

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on which actors are currently involved in, or have helped to facilitate, recent violence in Kessab.

Hugh Robertson: We understand that a wide range of groups have been involved in the fighting, including Ansar al-Sham, and Sham al-Islam, as well as the al Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front.

Syria

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made on establishing a date for a third round of negotiations for the Geneva Conference on Syria.

Hugh Robertson: The Geneva 2 process is currently stalled because of the Syrian regime’s refusal to accept UN/Arab League Joint Special Envoy Brahimi’s proposal on the agenda for a further round of talks. We remain in very close contact with the UN and our international partners in our efforts to find a way to make progress on the political track.

Syria

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the safety of the Armenian community in Kessab.

Hugh Robertson: We remain deeply concerned about the safety of Armenians and members of all other minority groups in Syria. We believe that the majority of Kessab’s inhabitants, including most of the ethnic Armenian population, left the town because of fighting in the area. Our understanding is that they have mainly joined other Armenian communities in Syria and neighbouring countries. They join the more than 9 million Syrians of all faiths and ethnicities who have been driven from their homes by the ongoing conflict.

Syria

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the composition of the different groups which comprise the combatants in Kessab.

Hugh Robertson: We understand that a wide range of groups have been involved in the fighting, including Ansar al-Sham, and Sham al-Islam, as well as the al-Qaeda linked al-Nusra Front.

Uganda

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in Commonwealth governments regarding Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act.

Hugo Swire: As I made clear to the House in the Adjournment debate on this subject on 2 April, combating violence and discrimination against LGBT communities forms an integral part of our tireless efforts to protect and promote human rights internationally. We have raised our deep concern about the Anti-Homosexuality Act with the Government of Uganda at the highest levels. Since that debate, the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds), has raised the issue with the Ugandan Foreign Minister on 3 April.
	Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act runs counter to the Commonwealth’s commitment to equality and respect without discrimination on any grounds. The Foreign Secretary wrote to the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth on 1 March to ask him to work with us to review the worrying trend on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in some Commonwealth member states. I discussed the issue with the Commonwealth Secretary-General on 19 March. We also use Commonwealth fora, such as the Commonwealth Law Ministers’ meetings (CLMM), to raise concerns. Our high commission in Kampala continues to discuss the issue with Commonwealth high commissions.

Ukraine

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to assist in the return of occupied Ukranian government buildings to the Ukranian Government.

David Lidington: The occupation by armed groups of government buildings in towns in eastern Ukraine is a further dangerous escalation of an already dangerous situation. On 14 April, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made a statement condemning these acts and said that it was important that the EU gave a clear, strong and united response. He also called on Russia to repudiate these lawless acts.
	On 17 April, the Foreign Secretary welcomed the commitments made in talks between the EU, US, Ukraine and Russia in Geneva; that all illegally armed groups must be disarmed, all illegally seized buildings must be returned to legitimate owners, and all illegally occupied streets, squares and other public places in Ukrainian cities and towns must be vacated. He said that rapid implementation was essential. On 23 April, he spoke about this issue with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, urging Russia to take steps to fulfil the Geneva statement and to de-escalate the situation in eastern and southern Ukraine, including making a clear public statement calling for illegally armed groups in eastern Ukraine to disarm and vacate occupied buildings. He also invited Russian diplomats to join efforts by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Monitoring Mission in the eastern Ukraine.
	The British Government will continue to work closely in support of the Government in Ukraine, and encourage Ukraine’s political leaders to continue to respond to events calmly and with determination, in order to harness the united efforts of all Ukrainians to work together for a successful future.

Ukraine

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Russian counterpart on the situation in Ukraine.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed the situation in Ukraine with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on 23 April. The Secretary of State pressed for the immediate implementation of the 17 April Geneva agreement. He urged Russia to take steps to de-escalate the situation in eastern and southern Ukraine, including making a clear public statement calling for illegally armed groups in eastern Ukraine to disarm and vacate occupied buildings. He also invited Russian diplomats to join efforts by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Monitoring Mission in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department has in place to be executed in the event of further Russian aggression on the Ukrainian border.

David Lidington: As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), told the House on 8 April, we are gravely concerned about the situation in Crimea and in the east of Ukraine. We have consistently condemned Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea including in public statements, international fora, and in bilateral contacts with the Russian Federation.
	The UK has played a key role in ensuring a tough and united response from the international community. We have reviewed all bilateral engagement with Russia and have frozen military cooperation, refused export licence requests which may be used by the Russian military, and postponed a number of planned Ministerial Summits. Along with other G7 members, the UK has withdrawn participation in the planned G8 Summit in Sochi in June, and will instead take part in a G7 meeting in Brussels.
	The Secretary of State has taken part in a number of discussions on sanctions at the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), in which the European Commission has also been involved. On 14 April, the FAC agreed to expand the second tier of sanctions and to add further names to the list of individuals subject to those sanctions. The FAC agreed on the urgency of completing work on a possible third tier of more far reaching sanctions, which might be implemented in the absence of meaningful diplomatic engagement by Russia or further provocation against Ukraine. The European Commission was tasked to identify such economic measures.
	As the Secretary of State has made clear to the Russian Foreign Minister, the EU remains prepared to impose additional sanctions should that become necessary. Russia should be clear that any deliberate escalation of this crisis may bring serious political and economic consequences.

Vietnam

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to draw attention to the persecution of Christians in Vietnam; and what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Vietnam on that matter.

Hugo Swire: We highlight Vietnam as a country of concern in the annual Foreign and Commonwealth Office human rights report published on 10 April.
	Our assessment is the Vietnamese Government is allowing more space for religious expression and has increased the number of churches and places of worship approved for use in 2013. In general the Vietnamese are able to practise the religion of their choosing and a number of prominent Ministers, including the Prime Minister, are openly Buddhist.
	The authorities take a harder line when religious groups are involved in political movements, with persecution taking place in this context.
	Our embassy continues to promote freedom of religion and belief in this atmosphere and meets with leaders of all faiths. In January they accepted a petition by families of Catholic activists on trial and supported an EU statement calling for the Vietnamese to uphold freedom of expression in these cases. Staff also attended meetings, alongside other EU member states, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs calling for greater transparency over allegations that authorities had intimidated Catholics in Nghe An province.
	We also make sure to raise our concerns at a ministerial level at every opportunity—be it through the annual UK-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue in October 2013 or the Secretary of State’s meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh earlier this month. The UK also runs projects designed to allow greater scope for civil society to develop and receive basic protections when raising their concerns and pursuing their beliefs.

Western Sahara

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the effects of delays in the organisation of the referendum in Western Sahara on the security situation in that region.

Hugh Robertson: We receive reports on the security situation in the region including in Western Sahara from a number of sources. The UN mission, MINURSO reports each year to the UN Security Council, most recently in document S/2014/258 dated April 2014.

Western Sahara

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on human rights in Western Sahara.

Hugh Robertson: Her Majesty’s Government has regular discussions with their US counterparts, including on Western Sahara. We support UN efforts to find a negotiated settlement.

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2014, Official Report, columns 161-2W, on Syria, on what basis the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom was selected as the recipient of £200,000.

Hugh Robertson: The FCO’s Human Rights Development Programme Board approved funding to the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) based on the strength of their project proposal. WILPF have been active in promoting the participation of Syrian women at the Geneva II peace conference, have developed a strong network of Syrian women activists, and work in close collaboration with other international non-governmental organisations. Their activities support our wider efforts to ensure that Syrian women are fully included in the political process.

JUSTICE

Alternatives to Prison: Preston

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people residing in Preston constituency are (a) being monitored by an electronic tag (b) subject to a suspended sentence order and (c) subject to a community order.

Jeremy Wright: On 30 September 2013, 492 people in Lancashire were monitored by an electronic tag. A more detailed breakdown below Probation Trust area is not collected centrally.
	Data on the number of people subject to a suspended sentence or community order is published in Offender Management Statistics Quarterly. The most recent report covers the period to 30 September 2013 and shows that 1,368 offenders subject to a suspended sentence order and 2,288 offenders subject to a community order were supervised by Lancashire Probation Trust. This includes people who are both monitored by an electronic tag and supervised by Probation. A more detailed breakdown below Probation Trust area is not collected centrally. The most recent Offender Management Statistics report may be found on the gov.uk website.

Benjamin Mire

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when and for what reasons Benjamin Mire left his judicial appointment on the property tribunal.

Shailesh Vara: Mr Mire chose to resign as a valuer chair of the Southern Property Tribunal on the 16 July 2013 following an investigation into his conduct. The reasons given by Mr Mire form part of the information gathered in the course of a judicial conduct investigation which is confidential and may only be disclosed in certain circumstances as set out in section 139 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.

Benjamin Mire

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (a) started and concluded its investigation into Benjamin Mire; and what steps that office subsequently took.

Shailesh Vara: The investigation into Mr Mire’s conduct was initiated by the president of the Residential Property Tribunal in accordance with the Judicial Complaints (Tribunals) Rules 2008 and the Judicial Discipline (Prescribed Procedures) Regulations 2006 (as amended). The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office was advised of the complaint against Mr Mire on 13 October 2011.
	The investigation was conducted in accordance with the regulations and ceased upon Mr Mire’s resignation as a valuer chair of the Southern Property Tribunal on the 16 July 2013.

Benjamin Mire

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether Benjamin Mire was shown the report of the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office into his conduct.

Shailesh Vara: The investigation into Mr Mire’s conduct was conducted in accordance with the Judicial Discipline (Prescribed Procedures) Regulations (2006) (as amended). The regulations require a draft of a review body report to be disclosed to the subject of the disciplinary process. The regulations were followed accordingly in this case.

Benjamin Mire

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice under what circumstances the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office report on Benjamin Mire can be made public.

Shailesh Vara: Information gathered in the course of a judicial conduct investigation is confidential and may only be disclosed in the circumstances set out in section 139 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.

Benjamin Mire

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what timescale Benjamin Mire would have been removed from his appointment to the property tribunal following the conclusion of the report on the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office had he not resigned from that post.

Shailesh Vara: Mr Mire’s conduct was investigated in accordance with The Judicial Discipline (Prescribed Procedures) Regulations 2006 (as amended). These regulations provide opportunities for the subject of the disciplinary process to make further representations and for the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice to consider these and take such action as they think fit. It is therefore not possible to specify a time frame for concluding the disciplinary process. Mr Mire resigned before the disciplinary process was concluded.
	Since 1 October 2013, judicial conduct has been considered under the Judicial Discipline (Prescribed Procedures) Regulations 2013. These now provide for the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice to continue to make a finding of misconduct in certain circumstances where a judicial office holder has ceased to hold office during the course of a conduct investigation.

Cherry Groce

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will grant the request by the family of Cherry Groce for legal aid for their representations at the inquest into her death; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he expects to have concluded his consideration of whether to grant legal aid to the family of Cherry Groce for their representations at the inquest into her death.

Shailesh Vara: Following a review of its decision in the Groce family’s case, the Legal Aid Agency made a funding request to the Lord Chancellor. The Lord Chancellor has considered the request and has granted funding.

Consultants

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which 10 consultancy firms were paid the most by his Department in the last financial year; and how much each of those firms was paid.

Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice can provide spend for the provision of services with the top 10 consultancy firms for 11 months of the last financial year (2013-14) as March 2014 spend is not yet available. All spend is exclusive of VAT. The table shows the top 10 suppliers for consultancy for 2013-14 and spend.
	Consultants can provide a fast, flexible and efficient way to obtain necessary skills that are not available inhouse. Consultancy spend is governed by strict Cabinet Office controls and any spend over £20,000 requires approval by the departmental board on behalf of the Secretary of State. Consultancy contracts in excess of nine months require further approval by the Cabinet Office.
	
		
			  Supplier 2013-14 YTD (£) 
			 1 PricewaterhouseCoopers 8,617,495.63 
			 2 Ernst and Young Global Limited 5,870,242.50 
			 3 PA Consulting Group Limited 3,200,003.90 
			 4 Mckinsey and Co Inc. United Kingdom 2,596,675.00 
			 5 Allen and Overy LLP 765,883.60 
			 6 Capgemini S.A. 723,189.07 
			 7 Methods Consulting Ltd 364,726.69 
			 8 Bird and Bird 312,387.78 
			 9 Pinsent Masons 161,134.37 
			 10 Regency IT Consulting 116,805.00

Convictions

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to section 160 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 in each of the last four years;
	(2)  how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to section 1 of the Protection of Children Act 1978 in each of the last four years.

Jeremy Wright: Possession of indecent images of children is prohibited and the police and courts will rightly take robust action against those who flout the law. The number of offenders found guilty at all courts for the selected offences relating to illegal images of children in England and Wales from 2009 to 2012 (latest data available) can be viewed in the table.
	Court proceedings data for 2013 are planned for publication in May 2014.
	
		
			 Offenders found guilty at all courts for selected child pornography offences, England and Wales, 2009-121,2 
			 Statute Offence 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Protection of Children Act 1978 as amended by Criminal Justice & Public Order Act 1994 (S.84), S.1 Take, permit to be taken or to make distribute or publish indecent photographs or pseudo—photographs of children 1,024 1,246 1,283 1,315 
			 Criminal Justice Act 1988, S.160 Possession of an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph 222 165 246 247 
			 1 The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Courts: Lancashire

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 2 April 2014, Official Report, column 703W, on translation services, how much was spent on interpreters in courts in each court in Lancashire in 2011, 2012 and 2013; which languages were interpreted; and how much was spent on interpreting each language.

Shailesh Vara: The Department does not hold centrally all of the information that has been requested. To provide the information would incur disproportionate cost.

Crime

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many new criminal offences have been created in each year since May 2010; and what the predicted effect was on the number of prisoners for each such offence.

Simon Hughes: I have set out the number of criminal offences in England and Wales created by Government Departments. The numbers are collated by the Criminal Offences Gateway which scrutinises proposals on new and amended criminal offences for England and Wales.
	The numbers are based on offences put through the Criminal Offences Gateway during the period 1 June 2010 to 31 May 2013 (the latest available data).
	Further information can be found in the New Criminal Offences England and Wales:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/revised-new-criminal-offences-statistics-in-england-and-wales-june-2009-may-2013
	The numbers of new criminal offences, which include entirely new offences and existing offences which have been extended or amended in some way, are published annually by my Department in the statistical bulletin New Criminal Offences. The new criminal offences enforce Government policy in a range of areas, including to contain the spread of serious animal diseases and to criminalise squatting in a residential building.
	
		
			 Period covered Number of legislative provisions (secondary and primary) containing new offences Total criminal offences created 
			 1 June 2010 to 31 May 2011 33 174 
			 1 June 2011 to 31 May 2012 52 292 
			 1 June 2012 to 31 May 2013 60 327 
		
	
	712 criminal offences were created during the period 1 June 2009 to May 2010 which was the 12 months immediately prior to the establishment of the Criminal Offences Gateway.
	New offences are needed for a number of reasons, for example, to update legislation that is now out of date, to underpin delivery of Government priorities and to set out clearly what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. The Government committed to putting in place a mechanism, an additional layer of scrutiny, for proposals to create new offences. This is the first time a Government has done so and committed to doing so publicly. The Government has repealed 140 offences in the 12 months ending May 2013.
	The information on the predicted effect on the number of prisoners for each relevant offence is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Crime: Victims

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the proportion of victims of crime who suffer from mental health problems in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The Ministry of Justice does not publish information in relation to the proportion of victims who suffer mental health problems. Last year the Department consulted on a new Code of Practice for Victims of Crime. One of the proposals was that agencies in the Criminal Justice System must provide enhanced services to vulnerable victims, which include those who suffer from mental disorder within the meaning of the Mental Health Act 1983. The new Code, including this requirement, was published last October and came into force in December.

Dangerous Driving

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions there have been for the offence of causing serious injury by dangerous driving since its introduction in 2012; and what the average length of sentence handed out by the courts for that offence is.

Jeremy Wright: The maximum penalty for causing serious injury by dangerous driving is five years custody. Since the introduction of this offence on 3 December 2012, one person has been proceeded against at, found guilty and sentenced at a magistrates court in England and Wales in 2012. There is too small a sample to provide a meaningful average custodial sentence length. We are keeping the law in this area under review. If any changes are needed, we will bring forward proposals.
	Court proceedings data for this offence for 2013 are planned for publication in May 2014 as part of the Criminal Justice Statistics 2013 publication. Please note that this data presents the principal offences under which a defendant has been proceeded against. If a defendant has been proceeded against for two or more offences it is the offence with the higher or highest maximum penalty that is selected.

Doncaster Prison

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the payment by results pilot in HMP Doncaster has been terminated.

Jeremy Wright: The HMP Doncaster Payment by Results (PbR) pilot was established to test the introduction of PbR to reduce reoffending, in response to commitments made in the Coalition Agreement. The pilot has been running since October 2011, with offenders released from Doncaster prison given additional rehabilitation support to help turn their lives around.
	The pilot predates the Transforming Rehabilitation programme and while it has provided important learning to inform our plans, the delivery model at HMP Doncaster is not fully aligned with these reforms. As a result, we have decided to bring the pilot to a close, to help ensure the effective transition to the new model for rehabilitation services and offender management in the South Yorkshire Contract Package Area. No further participants will enter the pilot beyond the end of 2014.

Employment Tribunals Service

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  when his Department plans to carry out a review on its policy on fees in the employment tribunal system;
	(2)  what plans his Department has to increase or lower the level of fees in the employment tribunal system.

Shailesh Vara: The Lord Chancellor is committed to reviewing the impact of the introduction of fees in the employment tribunals system. The Ministry of Justice is currently finalising arrangements for the timing and scope of this review, to enable the impacts to be properly assessed, and we will be making an announcement in due course.

Family Proceedings

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of presumption for contact in relation to the role of fathers in the family courts; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Hughes: Section 11 of the Children and Families Act 2014 requires courts to presume that a child benefits from the involvement of each parent who can be involved in a way which does not put the child at risk of harm. This is subject to the principle that the welfare of the child must be the courts’ paramount consideration. ‘Involvement’ may be direct or indirect and it is for courts to determine the most appropriate way for a parent to be involved in the light of the individual circumstances.
	Section 11 of the Act will be commenced in the autumn. One of the aims of the policy is to encourage parents to resolve disputes without the need for court intervention. The Government therefore intends to consider the impact of the policy as part of wider work to assess the impact of the family justice provisions in the Act.

Hunting Act 2004

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions under the Hunting Act 2004 there were in 2013; how many of those prosecutions were successful; and what offences these prosecutions involved.

Damian Green: Court proceedings data for 2013 are planned for publication in May 2014.

Legal Aid Scheme

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many law firms were permitted to resubmit their tenders to the then Legal Services Commission bid for a contract to provide publicly funded immigration services in the 2010 tender round after the deadline set out in the tender rules;
	(2)  how many bids to the Legal Services Commission for a contract to provide publicly-funded immigration services were rejected as incomplete in the 2010 tender round;
	(3)  on what date the Legal Aid Agency first informed Aman Solicitors that its bid was successful for a contract to provide publicly-funded immigration services in Luton in the 2010 tender round;
	(4)  which firm had its award of a contract to provide publicly-funded immigration services withdrawn in the 2010 tender round;
	(5)  how many (a) asylum and (b) non-asylum New Matter Starts were awarded to the firm that had its award of a contract withdrawn in August 2010.

Shailesh Vara: These questions relate to ongoing litigation against the Lord Chancellor and in the circumstances it would be inappropriate to respond at the current time.

Magistrates Courts

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases were dealt with in magistrates courts in 2013 (a) in total and (b) for non-payment of a television licence.

Shailesh Vara: Statistics on prosecutions, convictions and sentencing for calendar year 2013, including those of installing or viewing a television receiver without the appropriate licence, are planned for publication in May 2014 as part of the Criminal Justice Statistics annual publication.

Magistrates Courts

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to ensure that there is adequate staffing in magistrates' courts to ensure the efficient and speedy provision of information to the bench.

Shailesh Vara: There are adequate legal advisers in the magistrates courts who provide speedy advice to magistrates in order to ensure the efficient administration of Justice.
	We have resourcing models in place which help determine the aggregate staffing numbers required to manage anticipated work loads. Further, delivery directors ensure that resources are deployed effectively at individual courts.

Magistrates Courts: Wrexham

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what discussions (a) HM Courts Service and (b) his Department has had with North Wales police about future cell provision at Wrexham magistrates' court;
	(2)  if he will make provision for construction of secure accommodation at Wrexham magistrates' court to replace accommodation at Wrexham police station due to be closed by North Wales police in 2016.

Shailesh Vara: No detailed discussions have taken place between HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) or the Department with North Wales police with regards to future cell provision at Wrexham magistrates court. HMCTS is considering its options. Further discussions will take place once preferred options have been identified.
	Any decision for new arrangements for dealing with custody cases at Wrexham magistrates court will be guided by the principles of access to justice and best value for the taxpayer.

Magistrates Courts: Wrexham

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will ensure that criminal cases continue to be considered at Wrexham magistrates' court over the next five years.

Shailesh Vara: HM Courts and Tribunals Service has no current plans to cease criminal work at Wrexham magistrate’s court.

Manchester Prison

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether prisoners at HM Prison Manchester have access to (a) library books on specialist subjects and (b) educational courses.

Jeremy Wright: Prison library providers ensure that the range of reading and reference material available in each library reflects the needs and diverse nature of the prisoners held. They enable prisoners to receive, subject to the constraints of operating within a custodial environment, a service equivalent to that provided for library users in the community.
	The prison library at HMP Manchester holds books on a number of specialist subjects and will consider requests for others where there is a particular need.

Offences against Children

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many child sex offenders were in prison in each year since 2003.

Jeremy Wright: From the data held centrally, it is not possible to separately identify those offenders convicted of sexual offences against children, because the prisoner offence details held centrally do not include information on the age of the victim. Such offenders are included with other sexual offences.
	In order to provide data relating to child sex offenders in prison, it would be necessary to manually examine the individual prison records of over 10,900 sex offenders in prison as at 31 December 2013-this could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Offences against Children

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints were made by imprisoned child sex offenders against (a) prison officers and (b) prison staff in each of the last 10 years.

Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Personal Injury

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment his Department has made of the Supreme Court's judgment in Summers v Fairclough Homes that exaggerated or fabricated personal injury claims might be struck out in exceptional circumstances; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward legislative proposals to provide for first party and third party personal injury insurance fraud to be treated the same way by the courts.

Shailesh Vara: The Government is committed to reducing the number of fraudulent personal injury claims. To this end, we are considering what specific reforms might be appropriate.
	As announced last year, we are working with stakeholders in the industry to tighten the medical evidence process so that only evidence from accredited experts can be considered, and the costs for those reports can be fixed. This will mean people can no longer profit from exaggerated or fraudulent compensation claims but victims with genuine cases can still get the help they deserve. We are introducing these reforms later in the year. We are also working to secure better data on motor accident cases, including the number of fraudulent cases.

Policy

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in what circumstances he uses a calculation of the (a) value of preventing a fatality, (b) willingness to pay and (c) cost-per-quality adjusted life year approach to quantify the value of a policy intervention; what other tools he uses to quantify the benefit of a policy intervention; and if he will make a statement.

Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice does not use calculations of (a) the value of preventing a fatality, (b) willingness to pay and (c) cost-per-quality adjusted life year approach to quantify the value of a policy intervention.
	The Ministry of Justice uses a range of analytical approaches to assess and evaluate policies, including quantifying the benefits, in line with guidance provided by HM Treasury:
	“The Green Book: appraisal and evaluation in central government”
	“The Magenta Book” on designing an evaluation.
	These are published on the HM Treasury website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-green-book-appraisal-and-evaluation-in-central-governent
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-magenta-book

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what sentence was received by each employee of the Prison Service found guilty in 2013 of criminal activity in the workplace.

Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) does not hold records of employees found guilty of all types of criminal activity.
	While the vast majority of its staff are honest and hard working, NOMS is committed to detecting, deterring and disrupting all corrupt behaviour by individuals working in prisons. A dedicated NOMS Corruption Prevention Unit was set up to ensure staff corruption is identified and tackled. As part of this work NOMS has compiled a central record of staff convicted of criminal offences which meet the NOMS definition of corruption.
	This definition is that corruption occurs when a person in a position of authority or trust abuses their position for their or another person’s benefit or gain. This would include the misuse of their role in order to plan or commit a criminal act, or a deliberate failure to act to prevent criminal behaviour.
	There were 23 convictions for corruption-related offences during 2013. A breakdown of the different sentences is provided as follows.
	Sentences
	Four years six months imprisonment
	Four years imprisonment
	Three years imprisonment
	One year nine months imprisonment
	One year four months imprisonment
	One year one month imprisonment
	One year imprisonment
	Nine months imprisonment
	Eight months imprisonment
	Six months imprisonment
	Four months imprisonment
	10 months imprisonment
	12 month custodial sentence suspended for two years.
	11 months custodial sentence suspended for a year
	Nine months custodial sentence suspended for 12 months. 200 hours community service
	Eight months custodial sentence suspended for two years and a six month residency order
	Four months custodial sentence suspended for two years
	Four months custodial sentence suspended for two years. 100 hours unpaid work
	12 months Community Order. 150 hours unpaid work
	100 hours community service and 12 months probation
	Community Order. Ordered to pay £85 costs and £60 to complainants
	The total number of convictions by year for corruption-related offences is shown in the following table. The number of convictions has remained broadly constant over the last five years.
	
		
			  Number 
			 2013 23 
			 2012 25 
			 2011 21 
			 2010 18 
			 2009 21 
		
	
	The information provided has been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what shortfalls in staffing (a) including temporary cover and (b) excluding temporary cover against Target B3 staffing levels were in each prison since December 2013.

Jeremy Wright: The number of full-time equivalent Band 3 staff employed in each establishment of the Public Sector Prison Service of England and Wales, as at 31 December 2013, is published in the National Offender Management Service workforce statistics at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-offender-management-service-workforce-statistics
	Staffing figures are published on a quarterly basis, and figures for 31 December 2013 are the most recently published figures. Figures as at 31 March 2014 will be published on the 29 May 2014.
	Although vacancy numbers are reported to the centre, workforce planning is managed locally by prisons. There are a number of complexities around the reporting of vacancies, in particular variations to staffing levels arising from changes in prison function/role, changes to prison capacity and changes resulting from the prison benchmarking/efficiency programme. Given these complexities it is not possible to provide an accurate prison by prison breakdown.
	A new workforce reporting tool is being implemented from April 2014 which will improve the consistency of reporting at prison level.

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what maximum number of staff of each grade could be provided by each prison supplying staff for detached duty in each month since December 2013.

Jeremy Wright: The deployment of staff between prisons on detached duty is a regular and normal part of prison resourcing. It allows staff to be allocated from prisons with the capacity to provide them, to those where additional staffing is required. A nationally co-ordinated detached duty scheme has been operating since 21 October 2013.
	The number of staff available/maximum number of staff available for detached duty at any one time is a matter for operational judgment and takes account of overall staff numbers, levels of sickness, prisoner numbers and the regime and security requirements.
	The average headcount of Band 3 staff who worked on detached duty during December 2013 was 190, this represents 1.3% of all Band 3 officers. The following table contains a list of prisons broken down by the full-time-equivalent staff allocated and grade, during December 2013.
	Some allocations outside of the national scheme continued after October 2013 but are not included in the information provided. London region particularly allocated staff within their own region. Information is collected on the staffing allocated. On occasions the resource is not actually deployed due to changes in local circumstances.
	
		
			 List of prisons receiving staff on detached duty by average headcount for December 2013 
			 Headcount Band 3 Band 4 
			 5 or fewer Aylesbury Brixton 
			  Bedford Coldingley 
			  Brixton Guys Marsh 
			  Bullingdon Leyhill 
			  Coldingley — 
			  Cookham Wood — 
			  Erlestoke — 
			  Isis — 
			  Isle of Wight — 
			  Leeds — 
			  Leicester — 
			  Onley — 
			  Send — 
			  Sheppey Cluster — 
			  Wandsworth — 
			  Winchester — 
			    
			 10 Wormwood Scrubs High Down 
			  Norwich — 
			  Glen Parva — 
			  Bristol — 
			  Werrington — 
			  Pentonville — 
			  Rochester — 
			  Wayland — 
			  Littlehey — 
			  The Mount — 
		
	
	
		
			  Nottingham — 
			  Guys Marsh — 
			  High Down — 
			  Moorland/Lindholme — 
			    
			 20 Feltham — 
			  Portland — 
		
	
	Staffing figures are provided as at the end of each quarter and the last available figures are for 31 December 2013. Information from after that date is therefore not provided.
	All staffing figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 in line with the department’s policy for presenting staffing data.

Prisoners

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the prison population was, by prison, on 19 March 2014; how many prisoners each prison was built for; and how many foreign national prisoners there are in each prison, by country.

Jeremy Wright: Individual prison population and capacity information is published monthly on the Ministry of justice website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-population-figures-2014
	This data is produced on the last working Friday of each month and therefore the information published is from the last working Friday in February (28th) and not on 19 March as requested.
	A table which will be placed in the Library identifies the number of declared foreign national offenders in each prison, by nationality, as at 31 December 2013. This is in line with the latest published figures.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible error(s) with data entry and processing.
	All foreign national offenders sentenced to custody are referred to the Home Office for them to consider deportation at the earliest possible opportunity.
	Reducing the FNO population is a top priority for this Government. We are working hard to reduce the flow of FNOs into our prison system and increase the number of FNOs removed from the UK through prisoner transfer agreements (PTAs); the early removal scheme (ERS) and tariff expired removal scheme (TERS).

Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners serving (a) life and (b) indeterminate sentences for public protection were granted release on temporary licence in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: Release on temporary licence is the process where, towards the end of his or her sentence, an offender can be released from a prison establishment on a temporary basis. This release has to be for a specific purpose, which may include training, employment, or maintaining family ties, and comes with strict conditions that must be met. All offenders are subject to a risk assessment before being released. Temporary release contributes to public protection by enabling release plans to be tested, under strict conditions, before the offender is released. It also allows prisoners to participate in necessary activities outside of the prison establishment. This helps them to adjust to life on release, which contributes to reducing reoffending.
	On 10 March, the Government announced a package of measures to improve the consistency, risk assessment and monitoring of releases on temporary licence. The improvements will apply to all prisoners but, in addition, a new scheme of Restricted ROTL will be introduced for those prisoners who have committed serious crimes in the past. This will feature more stringent risk assessment procedures carried out by probation professionals, and more robust monitoring arrangements when this sort of offender is on temporary licence in the community.
	In 2012, the latest period for which figures are available, 611 prisoners serving a life sentence, and 1,043 prisoners serving an indeterminate sentence for public protection, were granted release on temporary licence. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners' Release

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements he has put in place to inform victims of crime of the date when perpetrators of crime against them will be released from prison.

Damian Green: The Probation Victim Contact Scheme provides valuable support to victims of offenders who receive a sentence of imprisonment of 12 months or more or a hospital order for a violent or sexual offence. The Scheme enables victims to be informed of key stages of an offender’s sentence, such as if they are transferred to open prison conditions. Victims will also be informed of the prospective date of release. The point at which this information is provided to a victim varies on a case by case basis.
	Where the offender is serving a determinate sentence, the release date is fixed. Victims will be informed of the expected month of release very early following sentence and will be updated should this date change—for example, if the offender receives added days.
	Where the offender is subject to discretionary release by the Parole Board, the victim will be informed early in the sentence of the month in which the offender will become eligible for consideration for release, and be informed of the Parole Board’s decision, including if this is to release the offender.
	Victims also have a statutory right to make representations about licence conditions on release, to re-assure and protect them, and to be informed which conditions have been included on the licence as a result of their request. These will typically be exclusion zones to reduce the risks of unexpected contact, and a no contact condition.

Prisoners: Complaints

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost to the (a) public purse and (b) prison service is of processing a complaint by a prisoner against a prison officer.

Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners: Publications

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the availability of books to prisoners; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: There have been no changes in the availability of books in prisons. Every prison has a library, to which every prisoner has access. Up to 12 books may be held by prisoners in their cell at any one time and additional volumes may be stored locally at the prison.
	The National Offender Management Service works closely with schemes such as the Shannon Trust Reading Network, which includes peer mentoring.

Prisoners: Publications

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will ensure that restricted access to books for prisoners is not an obstacle to preparation for employment; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: We firmly believe that giving offenders the skills and training they need to get and keep jobs on release reduces their likelihood of re-offending. This will include providing access to books, subject to the constraints of operating within a custodial environment.
	Prisoners undertaking education courses (including distance learning) are provided with relevant course materials and set books.

Prisoners: Radicalism

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners in each prison have (a) started and (b) completed the Ibaana programme since it was introduced.

Jeremy Wright: The training to deliver the Ibaana programme has just been completed. Prisoners will be offered the programme in the coming months.

Prisons: ICT

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what security breaches associated with the Prisons ICT Academy programme there have been since 1 January 2014; when these first came to the attention of Ministers; what the (a) nature of and (b) the outcome of their investigation was; and what illegal activities by prisoners were uncovered.

Jeremy Wright: We are aware of two security breaches within the Prison Information Technology Academies (PICTA) since 1 January 2014. These came to the attention of Ministers on 26 February 2014. As a precaution we immediately suspended the use of the PICTA workshops across the prison estate, pending an investigation which is still in progress. It would therefore not be appropriate to comment further at this stage. In addition we are increasing the security measures within PICTA workshops and we expect them to reopen in the near future.

Prisons: Libraries

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many items were borrowed from prison libraries in each year from 2010 to 2013.

Jeremy Wright: The requested information is not held centrally and would need to be collated through enquiries at each prison in England and Wales. This would incur disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Publications

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which prisons withhold books from prisoners when they first arrive; and for what reasons such books are so withheld.

Jeremy Wright: On reception, prisoners may retain in possession authorised property appropriate to their Incentives and Earned Privileges level, subject to the limitations in place on the prison’s facility list and overarching controls on the total volume of property held.
	Prisoners may hold up to 12 books in their cell at any one time and additional volumes may be stored locally at the prison.
	Restrictions are applied through local discretion where a book would be inappropriate due to a prisoner’s offence type, or where the book is itself unsuitable, such as where it gives advice on avoiding detection or how to commit offences, or is pornographic or extremist. This is a matter for individual Governors and the information cannot be collected without incurring disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Publications

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions drugs were found in parcels containing books destined for prisoners in each of the last four years.

Jeremy Wright: Prisons employ a range of measures to detect, disrupt and deter the trafficking of drugs into prisons.
	Details of how many occasions drugs were found in parcels containing books destined for prisoners in each of the last four years are recorded on a central incident reporting system as a drug-related incident. To establish a figure for the period in question would require the interrogation of over 18,000 individual electronic incident files. This could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Smoking

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect of a smoking ban in prisons on the number of incidents of violence relating to cigarettes.

Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) support the desirability of attaining a smoke free prison estate in the future and continue to work towards this objective. However, the timing of that implementation will take account of the operational realities of running safe, decent and secure prisons and in particular the impact any smoking ban may have on the general safety of staff and prisoners. Therefore the decision on timing to move to smoke free prisons will reflect an operational assessment of risk, which will include an assessment of potentially adverse impact on prisoner behaviour and how this risk can be minimised and effectively managed. This assessment is ongoing and the risks are being carefully considered to ensure effective plans and support are in place before introducing smoke free prisons.
	The work by NOMS on moving to a smoke free prison estate will continue to be informed by the UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies in Nottingham University; by further assessments of air quality in prisons; and by the work with Public Health England and expertise from the New Zealand prison service which has introduced smoke free prisons.

Probation

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the assessment and allocation tools to be used by probation staff in England and Wales from 1 April 2014 have been finalised.

Jeremy Wright: We are carrying out extensive local testing of the key elements of the new transforming rehabilitation systems across a number of probation trusts. Findings are helping us to refine the associated tools and guidance. We have now completed testing of the new risk of serious recidivism (RSR) tool, which will be used to inform the allocation of cases to new community rehabilitation companies (CRCs) or the national probation service (NPS), and we have begun the roll out of the current version of the tool to all trusts.

Probation

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when supervision of prisoners on release serving less than 12 months will begin in England and Wales.

Jeremy Wright: The extension of statutory licence conditions and rehabilitation supervision to offenders sentenced to less than 12 months imprisonment is subject to the commencement of the relevant provisions in the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014. This change to the sentencing framework is a core element of the Ministry of Justice’s Transforming Rehabilitation Programme. Ministry of Justice officials are currently managing the transitional and implementation arrangements for the programme, including the timing for commencement of this part of the Act.
	We are on course to award and mobilise the new contracts for delivering rehabilitation services by 2015.

Probation

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  whether the national probation service will be responsible for the provision of court reports after the introduction of the transforming rehabilitation agenda in England and Wales;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of changes to the number of fast delivery reports to magistrates courts in England and Wales after the introduction of the transforming rehabilitation agenda.

Jeremy Wright: Pre-sentence reports currently fall into three categories; standard delivery (SDR), fast delivery (FDR), and same day (or oral) reports. This process allows courts the flexibility to deliver sentencing decisions in the appropriate time frame, depending on each individual case, reducing the number of adjournments and expediting the criminal justice process.
	The transforming rehabilitation reforms will introduce a new risk of serious recidivism (RSR) tool which will be used to inform the allocation of cases to new community rehabilitation companies (CRCs) or the national probation service (NPS) and complements the pre-sentence report process. Our testing with operational staff in trusts of the RSR tool indicates that it is straightforward to use, in line with our commitment to minimising bureaucracy for front-line staff.
	The new national probation service (NPS) will be responsible for advice to courts and, prior to sentence, the NPS will advise courts on sentencing options for cases as part of a pre-sentence report (in accordance with the reserved function of advice to court under section 4 of the Offender Management Act 2007).

Probation

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what resources he will make available for interviews between a prisoner and a probation officer to allocate the case to the National Probation Service or a Community Rehabilitation Company after a sentence of imprisonment after the introduction of the Transforming Rehabilitation Agenda in England and Wales.

Jeremy Wright: The Transforming Rehabilitation transitional process taking place during April and May 2014 will allow us to refine all new procedures before the creation of CRCs and the NPS on 1 June 2014, and help to ensure the right resources are in place to carry out all associated tasks.

Probation

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what guidance his Department has issued to magistrates on consideration of breach applications following the introduction of the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda in England and Wales;
	(2)  what guidance his Department has issued to magistrates in Wales and England on the implications of the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda for the functioning of the courts.

Jeremy Wright: The Department has engaged regularly with the magistracy on the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms, via the National Sentencer Probation Forum and other meetings, and through the usual communication channels. Our intention is to ensure that the magistracy and sentencers more widely are fully informed of the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms and associated implications, including for breach applications. Training for the magistracy and any sentencing guidelines relating to the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 will be a matter for the independent Judicial College and the Sentencing Council respectively.

Probation

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what effect the introduction of the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda in magistrates' courts in England and Wales will have on report writing slots;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to ensure that there will not be delays in the delivery of court reports to magistrates' courts in Wales and England following the introduction of the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda.

Jeremy Wright: We are engaging with the magistracy and sentencers to ensure they are fully informed of the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms and associated implications. The new National Probation Service (NPS) will be responsible for advice to courts and, prior to sentence, the NPS will advise courts on sentencing options for cases as part of a pre-sentence report (in accordance with the reserved function of giving assistance to any court in determining the appropriate sentence to pass, under section 4 of the Offender Management Act 2007).
	As now, the three categories of pre-sentence report, Standard Delivery (SDR), Fast Delivery (FDR), and Same Day (or Oral) reports will allow Courts the flexibility to deliver sentencing decisions in the appropriate timeframe, depending on each individual case, reducing the number of adjournments and expediting the criminal justice process. The new Risk of Serious Recidivism (RSR) tool will be used to inform the allocation of cases to new Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) or the NPS and complements the pre-sentence report process. The RSR will be straightforward to use and aims to reduce bureaucracy in the report writing process. We will ensure through the contracting process that CRCs work closely with the NPS so that cases where the offender is under CRC supervision are brought before the courts speedily and effectively.

Probation

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to introduce training for magistrates and legal advisers following the introduction of the Transforming Rehabilitation Agenda in England and Wales.

Jeremy Wright: Responsibility for judicial training lies with the Lord Chief Justice as head of the judiciary, and is exercised through the Judicial College, an independent body. The Ministry of Justice is keeping the Judicial College informed of implementation plans for the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 and wider Transforming Rehabilitation reforms to enable the College to deliver training as it sees fit.

Probation

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance he has given magistrates in England and Wales on the introduction of the risk of serious recidivism tool into the National Probation Service following the introduction of the Transforming Rehabilitation model in England and Wales.

Jeremy Wright: The new Risk of Serious Recidivism (RSR) tool will be used to inform the allocation of cases to either the National Probation Service (NPS) or a Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC). We have begun the roll out of the tool to all Trusts, and have ensured that it is designed to minimise unnecessary bureaucracy so that staff working in the NPS or a CRC can spend more of their time managing and rehabilitating offenders.
	The RSR tool is an aid for probation staff and we have not issued magistrates with specific guidance on it. However, the Department engages regularly with the magistracy about the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms via the National Sentencer Probation Forum, as well as through other regular communication channels. Our intention is to ensure that the magistracy and sentencers more widely are fully informed about the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms. Training for the magistracy and any sentencing guidelines relating to the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 is a matter for the independent Judicial College and the Sentencing Council respectively.

Probation

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what plans he has to introduce specialisations in magistrates' courts in England and Wales following the introduction of the Transforming Rehabilitation Agenda;
	(2)  what plans he has to introduce individual case reviews following the introduction of the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda into magistrates' courts in England and Wales.

Jeremy Wright: The Government has not yet decided on the future of the provision for case reviews. We have no plans to introduce specialisation in magistrates courts. However, the Government is currently undertaking a review of the role of magistrates with a view to ensuring that the magistracy remains the cornerstone of our justice system. A public consultation paper will be issued later in the year. We are engaging with the magistracy and sentencers to ensure they are fully informed about the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms.

Probation Trusts: Sick Leave

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether sickness rates in probation trusts in England and Wales have risen since January 2013.

Jeremy Wright: Information on the average levels of absence due to staff sickness in the Probation trusts is published annually, at national level, in the NOMS Annual Report and Accounts: Management Information Addendum.
	A link to the latest published report for FY 2012/13 is provided as follows:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225225/mi-addendum.pdf
	The NOMS Annual Report and Accounts: Management Information Addendum for FY 2013/14 will be published on 31 July 2014.

Probation: Northumberland

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many organisations remain in the bidding process for the Northumbria Community Rehabilitation Company.

Jeremy Wright: In mid December 2013, the bidders who passed the first stage of the competition to bid for the regional rehabilitation contracts were announced. The list includes a mix of private and voluntary sector partnerships with more than 50 organisations represented. A list of the bidders who have been successful at this stage can be found at:
	https://www.justice.gov.uk/transforming-rehabilitation/competition
	The process to award Community Rehabilitation Company contracts is ongoing and the details of which bidders are interested in bidding for each Contract Package Area (CPA) is commercially sensitive information, which it would not be right to make public at this stage as this would affect the bidding process for the overall competition. The contract winners for each Community Rehabilitation Company will be announced by the end of 2014.

Procurement

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which contracts his Department holds with (a) Capita, (b) A4E, (c) G4S, (d) Serco, (e) GeoAMEY, (f) Sodexo and (g) Mitie; when each contract started; how much each contract is expect to cost over its lifetime; when each contract is due to end; whether there are any options in the contract for extension; whether any financial penalties have been incurred by each contractor to date; and whether each such contract has a break clause.

Jeremy Wright: The answer to the question tabled by the right hon. Member will be answered in due course. The requested data are not held centrally in their entirety and answering the request will require approaching individual contract managers to gather and validate data.
	Substantive answer from Jeremy Wright to Sadiq Khan:
	I undertook to write to you when the information had been received.
	The table contained within Annex A, which will be placed in the Library, details the live contracts that the Department holds with Capita, G4S, Serco, GeoAmey, Sodexo and MITIE. The table provides you with details on the start and end dates of these contracts, the estimated value of the contract as advertised when the procurement process was initiated, extension options and whether there is a break clause. Where information pertaining to any of these questions is already in the public domain, you will find for ease of reference links to the Hansard extracts.
	There are no contracts between the Department and A4E.
	The table within Annex A provides details on financial penalties where this information is already available in the public domain. To obtain this information for all the contracts listed would incur disproportionate costs.
	The details for the legacy Electronic Monitoring contracts between the Department and G4S and Serco have not been provided to you due to the ongoing criminal investigation into issues relating to these contracts.

Rape: Victim Support Schemes

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  which rape support centres and helplines that received funding from the Rape Support Fund in any of the last three years will not receive any such funding fund in 2014-15;
	(2)  which rape support centres and helplines (a) nationally and (b) in each region will receive funding from the Rape Support Fund in 2014-15; and how much funding has been allocated in each case.

Damian Green: The Ministry of Justice remains committed to supporting organisations that deliver specialist support to female victims of rape and sexual violence and has committed £4.4 million per year over 2014-16 through the Rape Support Fund.
	Detail regarding all organisations funded through the Victim and Witness Fund, which includes the Rape Support Funds 2011-14 and 2014-16 can be found at gov.uk, the information provided includes the amount of funding awarded to each organisation. The documents are located in the transparency data section of the Publications tab at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/victims-and-witnesses-funding-awards
	The document for the 2014-16 Rape Support Fund is divided into police and crime commissioning areas and includes the funding amounts awarded for both 2014-15 and 2015-16. The document was published on 8 April 2014.

Rape: Victim Support Schemes

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what criteria were used to determine the funding allocation for rape crisis centres for the 2014-16 period; and on what grounds the funding for Hull Rape Crisis Centre was cut.

Damian Green: This Government has committed to increasing available funding for services for victims of crime by potentially raising up to an additional £50 million per year from offenders, almost doubling current funding if realised. Therefore more money than ever before will be available for services to support victims of crime, with a potential total budget of up to £100 million with offenders paying a much greater share.
	The 2014-16 Female Rape Support Fund provides funding to organisations that successfully met the funds showstopper and quality criteria. The 2014-16 Rape Support Fund has awarded funding to 80 organisations.
	The rape support funding is designed to be leveraged funding to cover part of each centre’s funding needs based on the annual income of each centre.
	On this basis, Hull Rape Crisis Centre have been awarded £20,000 for both 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Shoplifting

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward legislative proposals to increase sentences for shoplifting.

Jeremy Wright: The maximum penalty for theft is seven years’ imprisonment. The independent Sentencing Council is responsible for issuing guidelines which all courts must follow when determining the appropriate sentence in each case, within this maximum penalty. On 3 April, the Council opened a consultation on a new draft guideline for theft offences. The consultation period ends on 26 June 2014 and is open to everyone. The responses received will inform the definitive new sentencing guideline for theft offences in due course.

Stationery

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what levels of stock his Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

Damian Green: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) does not record levels of stock held of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables. This information could be collated only at disproportionate cost.